Willow Springs Meet Recap

At three hours, our drive to Willow Springs on Thursday was the same length as the trip to the state course in Columbia.  Our hope was that this wouldn't be the only parallel.  Last year Dora and Chadwick, the top two girls teams in the state in Class 1 ran at Willow Springs, as did two of the top 8 boys teams.  We are hoping to match up with these teams in November and wanted to see how we looked against them early.  That justified a long bus trip.

In the end Chadwick didn't return to the meet, but 24 other schools did.  So did the sun.  Temperatures were near 90 degrees for both races.  On a hilly golf course with minimal shade, we knew finish times weren't going to impress anyone.  But as we emphasized beforehand, times don't matter in cross country.  It's all about places and how many competitors an athlete can get in front of.  The goal going into the race was to compete in intimidating circumstances, as we expect nothing different in the postseason.

Girls Race

The girls were the first to run.  As expected, times were slower than at our home meet, but we were interested in how we competed.  Our ladies showed a ton of determination.  That led to a third place finish in the small school division.  Neither of the two schools ahead of us are in Class 1.  Unfortunately only four of Dora's runners finished, so they didn't score as a team.  However, we were able to get five of our runners across the line before their fourth, so that bodes well for the future.

Anna was our first girl across the finish line.  She ran a very smart race, taking things a little bit slower in the first mile given the heat.  That allowed her to finish strong over the second half of the race.  Her last mile was her fastest.  From the 1-mile mark to the finish, she passed more than half the runners ahead of her.  That earned her a 4th-place medal among runners in the small school division and made her an easy choice as the recipient of our Spirit Stick.

Audrey was our second girl to finish.  She dealt with some illness early in the day, and the decision to race was made minutes before the starting gun fired.  We knew it was going to be a show of grit more than ideal potential.  In a testament of determination, she battled the heat and discomfort to get through the race.  She even managed to pass eight runners over the last two miles.  

Reagan was next to finish.  She performed well over the first mile.  Unfortunately she started the race a little under-hydrated, and it caught up to her in the second mile.  She chose to stop at the two-mile marker.  That's a difficult decision for a natural competitor like Reagan to make.  It takes a lot of courage and intelligence to realize that the season is bigger than a single race.  Ever the teammate and competitor, she didn't want to quit entirely.  She knew Audrey's situation and decided to run with her and form a duo where the two could support each other toward the finish line.  

Adeline followed across the finish line.  She also ran a conservative first mile, while she slowed a bit during the two hills of the second mile, she came back to run her last mile slightly faster than the first.  She also passed 19 runners over the last two miles and was just a second behind another.  She gained some valuable experience in the finish of the race that she can learn from.

Jocelyn wasn't far behind.  She was battling some back discomfort early in the week but managed it well enough to still race.  She helped Adeline run a controlled pace and was able to help pull the duo ahead of an important Dora runner during the middle of the race.  Even on a much tougher course in warmer conditions, her finish time was more than two minutes faster than at the Arcadia Valley Meet a year ago.

Sybina crossed the line next.  She looked strong throughout the race, but her socks rolled up beneath her feet in her spikes, creating quite a bit of discomfort.  She made the decision to remove her spikes, and in one of the most impressive displays of determination I've ever seen, Sybina ran nearly half of the race with no shoes.  That certainly impacted her performance, but it showed a lot more about her character.

Sybella followed not long after her sister.  She battled through some congestion to find her stride in the second half.  She built toward a strong push and passed 7 runners over the last two miles, finishing as fast as she started.

Sydney rounded out our girls squad.  She tried out a calf sleeve that didn't really work and then fought off some nausea the rest of the way.  In the end she never quit and showed a lot of perseverance.

Boys Race

Our boys raced 40 minutes after the girls.  Temperatures cooled off a degree or two by then, but it was still hot.  Our boys were a little short-staffed for this race, but with two of the top teams in our district in the race, we wanted to show we could still put up a fight.  Van Buren is one of the favorites in the state in Class 1.  They definitely got the better of us, but we learned what it's going to take to hang with the big dogs.  We matched up well against fellow district newcomer Alton, and in the end our boys finished 5th in the small school division.

Carter was our first boy.  He ran a smart first mile.  That left him back a bit from the lead pack of four runners, but he closed that gap over the second mile.  His final mile was five seconds faster than the first and included an incredible finish that left him just a second back of the overall winner from Class 4 school Logan Rogersville.  That gave him the title in the small school division and put him ahead of two favorites for the individual title in Class 1.

Jackson was our second boy to finish.  He seemed right at home on the golf course, and after a smart first mile, he maintained the pace he'd settled into through the second mile before turning on the jets in the final mile.  Over the last two miles he passed 30 runners!!! That was more than 20% of the field.  We weren't expecting any PRs at the meet, but in one of the best races we've seen anyone run this year, Jackson managed to shave 25 seconds off his time from our home meet.

Caden wasn't far behind.  He stayed with Jackson through the first two miles.  While he didn't have quite the same phenomenal final mile, he still picked up the pace, passed 13 individuals after the first mile, and finished within earshot of his time the week before.

Collin was next for our boys.  He got his first taste of a steaming hot 5K and held his own.  He slowed a bit in the second mile but came back with an aggressive third mile, passing 19 runners by the end of the race.  His time was just 45 seconds back from at the home meet, an impressive feat given the heat.

Bo rounded out our scoring five.  He stayed with Collin through the first two miles.  While he wasn't able to pull out the same turbo last mile, he worked past some discomfort to finish just behind some rival Class 1 runners.  

Tristin was our final boy.  He continued to show that he's one of our best at running well-paced races.  His last mile was faster than his first, and he passed 11 runners over the course of the race.  

In the end we weren't expecting many personal bests.  What we saw was what we wanted, personal victories.  If our athletes are learning things that make them better runners and a better team going forward, the meet was a victory.  We saw a lot of that at Willow Springs and are excited about what that means for the future!

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