From Coach Susan:
I'm having a tough time finding the words to describe yesterday’s state meet. A few that come to mind: euphoric, magical, epic, unforgettable. You get the idea. Both teams absolutely crushed it on a huge stage and I am so very proud of them.
The girls win was dramatic. Thinking we were 2nd by 3 points was bittersweet—fantastic improvement over last year’s 7th place, but being soooo close to the win was tough. It was the Powells who told us we needed to stay calm while final results were tabulated, and sure enough, we eked out a win by a whopping 1 point. Yes, having Sophia and Victoria Rodriguez get 1st and 3rd was instrumental, but by Lauren Balousek passing ONE critical Blanchet gal at the end and freaking Katie Kolpa passing 18 in the very last mile is what sealed the deal. Ella Zhang staying tough and Dora Cheng and Anna Ahrenholz running so fast and brave made this team win a classic. It’s the stuff of movies.
The boys had to have been inspired by the girls performance and went out and executed what we knew they could do. They won by a much larger margin, but again, it’s the #5 runner, Connor Ward, who slammed the door shut on the team win. Owen Powell defended his title against the always tough Vince Recupero, but anyone who has listened to him these past several months, knew the team title was what he wanted more. Thanks to Bodie Thomas (5th), Matthew Lawrence (11th) and Charlie Staddon-Smith plus Bridge Gerry and Finn Bunker, they are bringing that trophy to MI after a 61 year drought.