 We've raced at numerous places for districts over the years, but this year was a first for Oak Ridge. The course at their high school has its rough spots, and the weather definitely turned a bit cold and damp by race time. But both our boys and girls teams showed up ready to compete for a trip to state against over 20 other schools. Boys RaceOur boys team has been dealt numerous tough blows in the past year. Of our 7 boys who raced at districts last year, 3 are no longer on our team. Luke has had to overcome numerous health issues, Noah has juggled soccer and running, and then most recently Collin was diagnosed with a stress reaction that would keep him out of the race. We knew the odds were stacked a bit against us going in, but our boys committed to giving it their all. That started up front with Carter. He was certainly the favorite to win going into the race, but one of Meadow Heights top runners took the lead through the first mile. Carter was able to move into first soon after, with only Van Buren's Landon Street a few paces behind. By the end of the third mile, the lead had extended to nearly 10 seconds. Carter was able to push across the finish line with a 15-second victory. He becomes only the second boy in team history to win an individual district title.  Luke was our next boy to finish. Fresh off a strong performance at North County, he was looking to further his journey back to form. Knowing he went out a bit fast in his last race, he took things a little more conservatively, finishing the first mile 16 seconds slower. The choice paid off. His second mile was 26 seconds faster than at North County, and his finish time was 25 seconds faster. Over the last two miles he passed 12 runners (1/3 of the field ahead of him) to finish in 24th place and earn all-district honors. His finish time was also the second fastest of his career.  Caden and Jackson were the next to cross the finish line. Not having Collin in the mix certainly made things challenging for this pair, but they did their best to crack the top 30. In the end their bid came up a bit short, but it wasn't for lack of a strong race. They ran a smart first mile, also going out a bit more conservatively than their last race at Conference. Like Luke, this allowed them to make a huge push in the second half of the race. The boys passed nearly 20 athletes over the last two miles, and both ran new PRs in the process. From the start of the season, both boys shaved over 100 seconds off of their 5K times.  Bo and Noah were our next two finishers. We knew one of them was going to be our 5th runner and would have big shoes to fill. Continuing the trend, both boys started out smart and moved up over the race, mostly staying together and passing 12 runners over the last two miles. For Noah, it was a season best and the 4th fastest time of his career. For Bo it was the second fastest time of his career. Both these boys ended their seasons on tremendously positive notes.  Tristin was our final boy. Due to Collin's injury, he was thrust into racing on fairly short notice. He ran a very consistent race, even if it was a bit slowed from his last race at North County. He passed 5 runners over the course of the race. In the end it was good enough for the third fastest race of his career.  In the end the boys finished 6th as a team, just 14 points short of a trip to state. Given the challenges this season and the youth of our team, that was still an impressive performance. The future is bright, and a lot of eyes will be on this team going forward! For Luke and Carter, they will get to run together next Saturday on the state course. We're excited to see what they can do!  Girls RaceWith only five schools with enough girls to score and the projections going in, our ladies were all but ensured a qualification for state. However, our aspirations were for something much bigger: the second district championship in team history. With a tough Alton team joining our district this year, we knew that winning the title would be a challenge requiring strong performances from everyone. Our girls certainly delivered, beginning with Reagan. By the first mile, the race was already between her, the lead vehicle, and the clock. By the end of the second mile her lead had grown to 50 seconds, and she coasted to victory. She is only the third girl to win an individual district championship in team history.  That large lead Reagan built was over her own teammate. After starting the race out smart, Anna was able to move in front of some ambitious other runners and took possession of second place by the middle of the race. Over the remainder of the race she continued to increase her lead, ultimately finishing 50 seconds ahead of the next runner. Her second place finish is the second best performance ever for a sophomore girl from our team. It was also first time we've ever gone 1-2 individually at districts on either the boys or girls side. Even without much competition, Anna's finish time was the second fastest of her career.  Audrey was our next girl to finish. She ran the exact same first mile as she did at Conference, but this time she was able to maintain the pace. Along the way she was able to pass 6 runners. Not only did that finish time earn her a new PR, it was good for 16th place and an all-district medal. Her ability to finish in front of Alton's 3rd runner made a huge contribution to the team effort. Even with all the progress she made last year, she's now managed to shave another minute off her 2024 season best.  Speaking of big improvements, Jocelyn and Adeline were our next finishers. For Jocelyn, this was her first time racing at districts since her freshman season. She took advantage of that opportunity in a big way. She and Adeline went out 40 seconds faster than at Conference. That was an aggressive move, but it paid off. They did slow down quite a bit over the second mile, but they were able to bounce back fairly reasonably in the final mile. They passed 8 runners in the final two miles. For Jocelyn, that allowed her to finish in 30th place and snag the final all-district medal. Unfortunately for Adeline, she once again fell victim to being the last girl out, and unlike Perryville they didn't still give her a medal. Nonetheless, both girls ran phenomenal races, allowing just one girl (who wasn't on a scoring team anyway) between themselves and Alton's 4th and 5th runners. That proved to be the difference maker. Both girls also improved on their PRs by nearly 2 minutes. That's an insane leap forward at this point in the season! Sybella and Sybina were our final two girls. Both also went out faster than at Conference. But like the previous ladies, they were able to sustain the pace. Both ladies passed 6 athletes over the last two miles and ended up with season bests. For Sybina, it was the 6th fastest time of her career. For Sybella, it was the 3rd fastest. In the end the team standings were as close as we expected. With a little help from some Ellington runners snuck between Reagan and Anna and the lead runners for Alton, we were able to claim the district championship. The only other district title came back in 2016. That was before districts were consolidated down to four per class, which makes this one even more impressive. Now our girls will look toward the state meet, where they will pursue just the second trip to the podium in team history next Saturday.   We had 14 athletes race in the meet. All together we earned two individual titles and 6 all-district medals. 9 of our athletes ran season bests. The conditions were pretty miserable, but our athletes turned in some inspiring performances. With a faster course and better weather awaiting our athletes in Columbia, we're thrilled to have one more race and an opportunity to showcase our success this season!  Find Full Results HereFind More Meet Photos HereComments are closed.
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