GOOOOD MORNING XC NATION!
We did it! We braved the long drive, survived the early mornings, raced with vigor and determination, and crushed Nationals. Unfortunately, this marks the end of the XC season. I genuinely can’t believe it’s already over. It feels like the Grizzly Invite was only a week or so ago. I’m so proud of this team. I know everyone was working hard throughout the season. Every workout, every easy run, and every mile counted towards this race. You should all be proud of the work you put in. I feel that this team has grown significantly, not only in speed and skill but also in fostering closer team bonds. Now, let’s get into the actual trip.
It all started on Friday morning. All runners were supposed to meet at the Armoury at 5:50 AM to ensure we could depart at 6. Unfortunately, a couple of runners, who I won’t name *Cough Cough Lenny* *Cough Cough Cole*, slept through their alarms and needed to be picked up. They were also both in my van, so we swung by Ikenberry and ISR to pick them up. If you didn’t know, instead of taking cars down to Hershey, we rented giant vans. Thank you to Mrs. Snider, Mr. Forsell, and Mrs. Harmon for generously driving us around all weekend. None of this would be possible without them. Many of our runners quickly went back to sleep once in the van. However, the van I was in, the Snider Speedwagon, aka the best van, mostly stayed pretty talkative. Along the way, each car stopped to grab lunch before continuing the drive to Barkcamp State Park. Once at the park, the Forsell and Snider vans hopped out and began their shakeout run. It felt nice to get the legs pumping after being stuck sitting for so long. The team ran along beautiful, but slippery trails that were made even more dangerous when the downpour of rain started. After our muddy trek ended, we loaded back into the vans and prepared to go. But right before we left, the Harmon van finally made it! They were making the most of their journey, and if that meant being late to the shakeout, so be it. We continued on with our trip until it was time for Dinner. The Forsell van stopped at the Italian Oven Restaurant, and described it as very delicious. The Snider van stopped at Olive Garden, allowing Jonah to get gluten-free pasta and allowing me to play Plants vs. Zombies on the little iPads they give you. While we left Olive Garden, the Harmon van walked in. But unfortunately for them, the restaurant had begun filling up, and there was now a long wait for a table. Attempting to beat the wait, they instead went to Applebee’s. Eventually, we made our way to Comfort Inn. Due to time constraints and one of the vans running late, we had to postpone nats raps to Saturday. Everyone went to their rooms, showered, hopped into bed, and dreamed about all the wonderful performances to come.
Early next morning, our runners raced outta bed to beat the Tar Heels, who were also staying at our hotel, to breakfast. After many bananas were eaten, water was drunk, and IXC tattoos were applied, we gathered our bags and headed to the course.
Everyone had dreams that the course would be magical and smell like chocolate. Instead, it smelled like cows and manure, so not exactly what we wanted. To cure our dissatisfaction, NIRCA gave us Orange face wraps, which matched our Illinois merch. After setting up our camp, some decided to take a sneak peek at the course, while others made sure to get extra rest.
It wasn’t long before our first race of the day, the Women’s Junior/Senior/Grad race. Luckily, this year we don’t have any runners in a race alone. Annika Luthe and Lia Tondeva got to run this race together. Annika started the day off well, being the first Illinois runner to brave the course and finish. She finished with a fantastic time of 27:27. Lia finished next with a great time of 31:59. Lia said it wasn’t what she was hoping for, but she was glad to be at the meet with such great teammates, and she was excited to visit Hershey World.
The next race up was the men’s Junior/Senior/Grad race. A lot of runners in this race had experience on the course from last year; they were hoping to use that to their advantage. Simon Hildy was one of those runners, using his experience on the course to land himself on the podium, FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW! Simon ran 29:30, leading the race for the first 2 miles and having an all-around fun time. Thomas Harmon was following his trail, finishing in 29:45. Thomas said it was a beautiful day to run, and he felt satisfied. Up next was Alan Gu, who ran a quick time of 32:56. Alan stated that the most important thing in the race was to persevere through the hills, and that’s what he did to run such a great time. Next was Robert Henke, who said he learned how to pace himself, which helped him run his time of 34:19. Next was Aidan Farrell, rounding out the team with a quick time of 36:01. Now it’s time to talk about everyone’s favorite runner, Terry Ryson. Unfortunately for Terry, the confusing course and strange directions from the course officials caused Terry to go off course. While he doesn’t have an official time, he finished number 1 in our hearts.
The Women’s Championship race was next. Our top 7 made their way to the line while they listened to the cheering of the rest of us. Our team all gathered around to watch the start. Our quickest women crowded in the box, ready to take down the other teams. The championship race started, and by the end, we had another Podium finish. Aubrey Chaney took 2nd place overall, finishing in 22:30. She said she felt good and was proud of her 2nd place finish. Lenny Sterritt was next, crossing the line at 25:17. Lenny ran the hills smartly but began to die toward the end of the race. Not giving up, she locked in for the final stretch and ended up with a new PR. Evelyn Rowan ran a quick race, ending up with a fantastic time of 26:25. Evelyn said she had a great final race and actually enjoyed the hills because they allowed her to see the other runners. Emma Bergmann and Anika Lovisa finished the race back to back. Emma finished first, with a time of 27:06. She had a great race, moving up and passing runners as the race continued. Emma loved being on the team and had a great season. Anika was right behind Emma, finishing with a time of 27:08. Anika stated that the hills cooked her legs, but she was still happy with her race. Next was Samantha Anderson, who finished her race in 27:26. Sam and Annika wanted to say that they not only ran the same time today, but they also did at regionals! Last up in the Championship race was Anna Zlatic, who crossed the line with a time of 27:41. We had a lot of great performances and even a PR! This team didn’t let the nonstop hills of the race stop them, as they laid it all out on the course and ended up taking 15th place.
Now it was time for the men’s championship race. Most of the team had run this course last year, so they knew how to take the hills. Unfortunately for Max and Jeremy, they only had what we told them and a course map to prepare. The top 7 men gathered in the box with the support of the rest of the team behind them. The race quickly started, and our runners were off. Even though it was his first time running the course Max Henige was the first to finish, with a time of 27:11. Percy Moser was right behind him, running 27:18. They both ran fantastic races and landed spots on the Podium. Max took 12th and Percy took 16th. Percy said he’s already hungry for more. Ethan Forsell was next up, finishing with a time of 27:54. Ethan was very happy with the team, saying that everyone ran their races very smartly. Next was Jensen Bidmead, who finished his race with a time of 28:15. Jensen was happy he was able to give his race all he had. After Jensen was Albert Szewczyk, who ran a 28:37. Albert said he was happy he could score for the team. Jeremy Perez wasn’t far behind him, with a time of 28:43. Jeremy was shocked when he saw people dropping out of the race mid way through. He was able to persevere with the help of team support in the back stretch. I was next finishing with a time of 29:14. The team fought through the hills and used their speed down the backstretch. Through their determination, they were able to score a 4th place finish! Coach Ethan was very very proud of the team, and the excitement was through the roof (if there had been a roof).
Let’s not forget about the future of our team! It’s time for the Freshman/Sophomore races. The Men were the first to race. This team was roudy and ready for the race to start. When the gun finally went off, they rushed to the very front of the pack. While that may not have been a great strategy, seeing that they were about to run through 3 miles of hills. It worked out for Walter Chang. Walter was the first men’s finisher, crossing the line at 29:42. Walter actually led the race for the first mile and still finished well. After Walter was Alex Demas, who finished with a time of 30:14. Alex says he could have done better, but was still happy with his effort. Cole Payne was the next finisher, who crossed the line at 30:17. Cole was very happy that he was able to conservatively handle the hills, then have fun speeding down the downhills. Next was Keith Solberg, who finished with a time of 30:31. Keith actually expected the race to be worse and tougher than it really was. He felt the best racing he had all season. Next was Morgan Fredrick, who raced a fantastic 30:47. Morgan wishes he could have gone a little faster, but he had fun on the hills. Kyle McCoskey was our next finisher, who crossed the line with a quick time of 31:28. Not far behind was Jonah Diehl, who finished in 31:42. Jonah wishes we had a better hill to train on in Champaign, but still ended up passing many people on the hills. Next was Even Kemph, who ran an amazing time of 32:54. Max Boughner was our next runner to cross the line, finishing in 33:47. Max is currently worried his calf is going to explode after the race, but is still happy with his effort. Last up was Miles Moomaw, rounding out the day for our men with a quick time of 34:54. We had a lot of ambitious racers who fought hard to secure their quick times and well-deserved places. Great job to our Fresh/Soph Men. (We also had a discussion on whether it should be fresh/soph or frosh/sop. I say it should be fresh/soph)
On to our final race of the day, the Women’s freshman/sophomore race. Now that almost everyone had already run their race, all eyes and ears were tuned in to watch and support our women. We had a strong group of 4 runners, excited to speed through the race. Our whole team gathered to watch them start their race. Finally, the race started, and our women were off, passing each runner one by one. Charlotte Kroll was our first finisher, crossing the finish line at 26:53. Charlotte raced an amazing Pr and had a great race. Actually, not only did Charlotte PR, but every one of our runners in this race ran a new PR! Dana Reed was next, finishing in 27:47. Dana had a great race and said it was super fun that she could see the other racers when going down the hills. After Dana was Kiley Senall, who ran a fantastic time of 29:34. Our final racer of the day was Margaret Walsh, who finished with a time of 35:16. Maggie said she had an awesome and fun-filled race. It was awesome watching these girls run. The future for the team is bright!
After Awards, we couldn’t skip going to Hershey World. Just like last year, everyone had a blast buying candy and riding the World of Chocolate ride. Eventually, we left Hershey and drove another 2 hours to our hotel for the night. While we drove, everyone made their final drafts for their Nats rap. Spirits were high, excitement was through the roof, and now it was time for one of the most important traditions. After showering, everyone gathered in one of the rooms and took turns sharing their rap. Some were cheerful, and some were a little mean, but they were all lots of fun. On Sunday, we braved the drive and drove all the way back home. Overall, everyone did an amazing job during their races. I had a great job getting to know everyone better, and I feel the team grew closer together through this trip.
Thank you guys for an amazing season. I’ve had a wonderful time as your webmaster. Whether it was writing meet reports or making TikToks, it was a fun experience all around. I know the next Web Master will do a fantastic job, I wish them the best of luck
Signing off,
Maxwell Maloney
Picture Link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/D4JTuoCTQneLfVyQA