NIRCA Cross Country Nationals was back in the Midwest this year, and IXC showed out. While the long van ride to Hershey, PA, was great for team bonding, I think everyone enjoyed the shorter ride this year to Shelbyville, IN. The course was one IXC was familiar with, as we have raced the Grizzly Invite 5k here the past two years, and veterans remember when Nationals was in Shelbyville three years ago.
Even though the meet was close by, the team opted to stay in a hotel nearby, so we could get good sleep. The night before, we packed the small communal lobby with ourselves. Everyone (everyone that is cool, that is) painted their nails Illinois orange and blue, and some made a late-night Walmart excursion for shenanigans’ sake. Coach Max Maloney also held a team meeting to encourage everyone for the upcoming day.
The first race of the day, the Open 6k, housed our first racer, Morgan Frederick. This race was in addition to an 8k he would race later in the day. Shout out to Anna Zlatic for driving Morgan to the meet early, so he could warm up and everyone else could sleep in. Everyone else arrived close to the start time to cheer him on in his first race. As Morgan was racing, the whole team ran from point to point cheering him on, which helped us learn the best cheer routes to use later. Morgan finished the race in a strong 21:05, with his next race right around the corner two hours later in the Men’s Junior/Senior/Grad 8k.
Before the Men’s Junior/Senior/Grad 8k was the Women’s Junior/Senior/Grad 6k though. First through the line for IXC was Fati Siddiqui in 24:15 for 3rd overall (Not Avery Bennet!). She powered through the pain of a potential stress fracture well, but unfortunately never received her NIRCA paper due to bib errors from NIRCA (more on this later). Next was Jennifer Ruiz, who finished in a time of 26:03. Jennifer stated that she enjoyed her race and thought it was a good performance. Rounding out the small squad in this race was Lauren Frake, who ran 26:03 and was very excited to finish sixty seventh place (some would say sixty seventh is the new first place).
The Men’s Junior/Senior/Grad 8k had a much larger squad of seventeen runners. First to finish for IXC and first to finish overall was Kevin Diederich in a time of 26:22. Kevin was happy with his performance and is looking forward to next year! Not far behind him was Jack Wilkinson in fourth place with a time 26:42. Jack described his race as “painful but excellent.” Walter Chang was next, finishing in a time of 28:10. Walter was happy with his race but was annoyed to not catch IXC alum Adam Lupatkin (who ran 27:57 for Georgia Tech club). Following him was Brendan Graven in a time of 28:19. Brendan felt he went out a little fast, but he gave his all, and it was an emotional goodbye. Around twenty seconds later, Gabriel Inojosa finished his race in 28:39, which was close to his PR. Finishing in a time of 28:58 was Morgan Frederick, who was very happy with his PR in the 8k after racing the 6k. Hopefully he got a good workout in as well in preparation for his marathon in Memphis. After Morgan was me (Max Boughner) with a time of29:13. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my phone with me for this race (like I always do for easy runs and workouts), so I was unable to send my farewell email. Jerome Graessle was satisfied with his time of 29:28 since he has not been running consistently. Rounding out the sub-thirty squad, with a time of 29:44, was Glenn Hadcock. Glenn felt he did not have the best race as his last three miles were slower than his marathon pace from a month ago.
Ryland O’Hanlon was next, and he ran a time of 30:16. Ryland was happy with the effort (and he also took amazing photos!). Alan Gu followed in PR with a time of 30:47, where he was spurred on by all the incredible cheering. Iñigo Serrano was happy with his time of 30:55 despite it not being a PR. Behind him, finishing in a time of 32:37, was Brian Allison. Brian mentioned that he enjoyed the aux at the meet, which was a series of EDM remixes of well-known pop songs. Right behind him was Robert Henkel in a time of 32:37 as well. Finishing in a time of 37:19 was Avery Bennet, who pointed out the “immaculate vibes” and beautiful weather as contributors to his “fantastic” race. Close behind was Tryggve Vilaseca in 37:22. Tryggve mentioned that he worked with Avery for the second half of the race, which he enjoyed. Rounding out the squad for the Men’s Junior/Senior/Grad race was Terry Ryson in a time of 40:36. Terry stated that he was almost told to go the wrong direction by a race official again, but this time he did not make a wrong turn. Overall, the men’s team finished third in the Junior/Senior/Grad 8k, showcasing the strong depth of IXC.
After cheering for the races, the women running the Championship race warmed up and got ready. The starter once again delivered his signature line, “I’ll see you at the finish line,” which we had all become very fond of by this point, and the race began. The women got out hard to get a good position in the race, and the rest of the team mimicked this by running to get a good position to cheer.
First across the line for us was Allison Behounek in eighteenth place with a time of 22:42. After her race, she stated that it was a “good day to race” and that “it went well,” and it most certainly did go well because she snagged herself a NIRCA medal for finishing in the top thirty! Second to finish was Lenny Sterritt in a time of 23:00 for twenty fourth place (also getting a medal!). Lenny partially attributed her fast time to the jar of applesauce she had before her race that was promptly ejected at the conclusion of her race. Freshman Caitlin Thomas was next, and she ran a time of 24:17. After thinking, Caitlin stated that she was happy to PR and that she really enjoyed the energy of Nationals compared to previous races. Sophia Libman was not far behind in a time of 24:41. Sophia technically PRed in the mile at the beginning of the race, but she held on and was happy with her race. After her, in a time of 25:15, was Violet Schnizlein. Violet was unhappy with her race, but she is still proud of her season and is excited for the future. Annika Luthe said that her leg stopped working towards the end, but she was still able to PR on her way to a time of 25:50. The final finisher for IXC in the Women’s Championship 6k was Anna Zlatic, with a time of 26:37. When asked about her race, Anna stated “I don’t know… ehh,” which is hopefully positive! The women raced amazingly and were rewarded with tenth place overall!
After cheering the women on, the men got ready for their own race. The gun went off and our men followed suit—getting out hard to establish position before the turn. Leading the way, in twelfth place, was Max Henige with a time of 25:30, snagging himself a medal. Fresh off the Chicago Marathon, Max felt his performance was “very solid” but painful, and he was glad it was over. Following him, in 26:13, was Jensen Bidmead, who described the race as “very fun, very fast, and very competitive.” After Jensen was fellow 705 resident (Fouse = Fastest House) Alex Demas, who ran a time of 26:29. Alex unfortunately had a tiny cramp, but he still PRed and was happy. Close behind was Coach Max Maloney with a 26:38. Max stated that he was incredibly proud of the performance by the team on the day and of the progress made by everyone throughout the season. Just ten seconds later, Alex Herrera finished his race in a time of 26:48. Herrera was happy with his performance because he felt like he left it all out there on the course. Braden Stillmaker finished next, in 27:05. Braden was another runner who commented on the effect of the crowd helping him push towards the end of the race. Rounding out the top seven was Jeremy Perez, who ran 27:18. Jeremy said that the final mile felt like an all-out 800, which sounds very painful! Overall, the men ran very well in the Championship 8k race and finished eighth overall.
After the Championship races came the Freshmen/Sophomore 6k and 8k. While the Championship races win trophies, the Freshmen/Sophomore races are a chance to set the tone for the future. First up was the Women’s Freshmen/Sophomore 6k, featuring six runners for us!
The first finisher for us in the race was Dana Reed with a time of 27:03. Despite a bad side stich in the middle, Dana fought hard and PRed by 0.1 seconds. Right behind her, also in a time of 27:03, was Jocelyn Cielo-Grande. She was glad to see her hard work from the last two weeks pay off. Following was Greta Snyder, who finished in a time of 27:38. Greta said that it was a great race to finish the season with and a PR. A little less than a minute later, Haley McCune finished in a time of 28:33. Despite her ankle hurting, she was able to PR! Next was Kiley Senall, whoran 30:19. She had a side cramp at the beginning, but she “picked it up and kept going.” Rounding out the squad was Kyariane Joseph with her time of 31:39. She was another member of the PR club, so she was happy.
The final race of the day was the Men’s Freshmen/Sophomore 8k, where the club boasted seventeen runners. The leading Frosh man was Ben Hoffman, who ran 26:58 for seventh place. Ben went out conservatively and then pushed throughout, allowing him to run a PR! Not far behind him was Keith Solberg with a time of 27:11. In classic Keith fashion, Keith declared his massive PR an utter failure, but I write the recaps, not Keith, so I am going to say that it was an excellent race. Following Keith was Gunnar Sulzen in a time of 27:33. Gunnar stated that, after his race, he felt more out of it than he did after Bance. Ronin Borgson, who was very happy with his performance,was next, finished in a time of 27:57. Ronin was glad to have his dad there to cheer him on to a sub twenty-eight 8k. Following Ronin was Jonah Diehl. Jonah opened fast, slowed in the middle, and then picked it back up toward the end to run28:41. Kyle McCoskey also went out very fast, even though he told himself he wouldn’t, but he held on and ran 28:45.
The next to finish for the club, in a time of 29:14, was Adam Wilson, who felt his race was going well until he realized he was behind Joe, which caused him to push a lot to pass him. Right behind was, you guessed it, Joe Gabriel, who ran29:16. Joe was really happy with his race, but he was upset to get outkicked by Adam. Next was Eli Scott, running 29:25. The final member of the sub thirty club was Evan Kemph, who was ecstatic to run 29:38. Next was Carter Tiemann, running 30:22. Carter was happy with his performance, but he wishes he did better. Not far behind him was Ryan Taylor 30:27. Ryan’s race was a series of unfortunate events. In the middle of the race, Ryan accidentally tripped someone, so he stopped to help him up and then surged to get back to where he was. While being a morally just act, he did expend a lot of energy, which made the rest of the race harder.
Behind Ryan was Marcus Finley with a time of 30:53. Marcus went out a little hard and got a “lung cramp,” but he closed in seventy seconds for the final quarter mile, which is really all that matters. After him was Ryan Wilson, who ran31:32. Ryan thought he could’ve run faster but he felt the race was challenging the whole way through. Not far behind him, with a time of 31:44, was Austin Stevenson. Austin was happy to PR, and he stated that even though he slowed down throughout the race, he slowed down less than everyone else. Then Mikey Crowe, who also PRed,finished his race in a time of 33:04. Mikey was very happy to PR by multiple minutes. The final finisher for the men in the Frosh 8k was Miles Moomaw. Miles ran33:40 and described his performance as “okay… just okay.” In the end, the freshmen and sophomores matched the performance of the juniors, seniors, and grads by also finishing third overall!
After finishing all the races, the team went to the awards ceremony to celebrate our racers who won a medal or NIRCA paper. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to receive their paper due to an error with bib numbers in the Junior/Senior/Grad 8k and 6k (this error also contributed to a delay in getting results). While this error was annoying to deal with, I find it hard to be harsh on NIRCA. NIRCA is a fully volunteer organization full of passionate people who try their best. Obviously, I would prefer for this error to have never happened, but NIRCA extended us grace at Regionals, so I believe we should do the same for them here.
We then all drove home, ate dinner, showered, and met back up at 807 for Nats Raps. Many truthful and untruthful accusations were made. My personal favorite was Jonah and Keith’s parody of Hamilton about Alexander Demas (and Jensen Bidmead, the immigrant). Eventually, however, the night came to an end, and we all got some well-deserved rest.
I do not want to speak for others, but after working towards one goal—one moment—for days, weeks, months, I often feel empty. I am not unhappy, but I always wonder “Now what?” Hundreds of miles for individuals, thousands for the team, were run in preparation for this meet. Some started training at the beginning of the season. Some have been training since the start of the summer. Even after a good performance, it is hard not to want more.
As cheesy as the saying is, it really is about the journey, not the destination. No one would’ve made it to Nationals if training was not enjoyable on its own. Obviously, tempos in the 90-degree heat are not terribly fun, but through the pain there is beauty. There is beauty in the shared struggle that we choose to put ourselves through, and that was on display in this meet. Nationals was a beautiful day to cap off a beautiful season, and for some, to cap off a beautiful cross country career.
Thank you for reading the recaps,
Max Boughner
Photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1abwojjM6PaDEMOVYwr5lIYH4EMV-vHhR?usp=sharing