The HHS boys and girls cross-country teams finished their seasons on Saturday, Nov. 9, after competing in the state meet at Jesse Owens Park. The girls placed second, bringing home a red state map, and the boys third, a strong finish to a successful season.
Both teams dominated sectionals on Nov. 1 as the boys team placed first overall and the girls second, qualifying them to advance to the state championship.
Head coach of the cross-country team Kelly McNair shared what expectations she had for the boys team ahead of the state meet.
“This is the strongest boys team we have had in many years. We had eight guys running under 17 minutes, and then our top guy running under 16 minutes throughout the season,” McNair said. “So heading into state, it was the strongest boys team that we’ve had so expectations were there.”
McNair was equally as confident in the girls potential to perform.
“The girls competed very well in sectionals and competed to their potential,” McNair said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them. The girls performed exponentially so coming into state my expectations were very high for both girls and boys teams.”
Senior cross country runner Emma Brooke Levering expressed what her emotions were like going into her last state meet.
“I was really excited, coming into it I knew that I had a pretty good chance to win,” Levering said. “Cross country is my favorite sport so with it being my last race I was definitely bittersweet as well but overall I was excited.”
McNair recognizes how the expectations and pressure could have contributed to the final results of the state championship.
“The boys didn’t have the day at the state meet that they had at sectionals and there’s many reasons why,” McNair said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t come together for athletes mentally and in order to race to your potential you not only have to be in top physical condition but the mental aspect has to be strong as well.”
McNair believes that practice and continuing to work on both physicality and mental toughness are the keys to success in the cross-country environment.
The teams’ state performance is a building block moving forward into the future of the cross-country team.
“There’s a positive you can take away from every race, but there’s also something that you can reflect on, to work upon for the next race,” McNair said. “But one race never defines the team, it’s only going to fuel us for next season.”
