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State
October 16, 2022
Hello HXC Community,
The final week of the season is always a little bittersweet. After so many months of training together, it’s hard to believe that in a short few days, it will all be over and, in all likelihood, this exact team will never take the line again together. The message all week was that the “hay was in the barn” and all the hard week was done. Our practices were light, and the mood was right where we wanted it heading into state. After a great sendoff from staff and students, we departed for state optimistic for what the next 24 hours might hold.
Saturday morning is always a time for excitement and a little nervousness knowing that you’ll be surrounded by the state’s best. Everyone participating at state got there for a reason, and if you want to bring home some hardware from this meet, you definitely have to bring your “A” game. During our last team meeting before we exited the bus, we wanted the athletes to take in the day and embrace all the emotions. It’s just cross country at the end of the day, and it should be fun! Don’t run from the nervousness, embrace it, and turn it into positive energy! As the clock approached 12:30, our girls were up first:
Mia Kunio- 28th place (12:51). Mia gave her all in her quest for all-state. She went out strong with the leaders and held on for the entire race. Although she came up just 8 seconds short of her goal, we know she will come back stronger next year!
Caroline Goettsch- 67th place (13:22). Caroline wrapped up her Herget career at Maxwell Park on Saturday. Caroline was a great leader, who will definitely missed. Although, she wasn’t extremely happy with her time, the best is still ahead of Caroline!
After the girls, it was our boys turn. The goal all year for the boys was to bring home a trophy. Only four are given, so this is obviously a very lofty goal. At state there is very little margin for error as you are surrounded by the state’s best. Our boys brought their A game and claimed a 3rd place trophy!
Ben Bohr- 8th place (11:13) . Ben had a crazy race! He went out super-fast and paid a price about 800 meters in! When he passed us a little past mile 1, he was in 20th place and not looking good. However, Ben is a competitor and dug deep to throw down a legendary kick the last 800 to finish in 8th! Ben wrapped up a legendary career at Herget and left a tremendous legacy.
Lachlan Mahoney- 9th place (11:14) Lachlan ran a flawless race! He got out with the leaders, held his position, and finished top 10 in the state! Watching Lachlan run is a thing of beauty! He’s a madman and has a bright future!
Asher Lesniak- 22nd place (11:23) It’s hard to believe this was Asher’s first year running cross country! He was the most consistent runner we had, and we’re so happy he was able to achieve all-state.
Ethan Jenkins- 69th place (12:07). Ethan was the most improved runner we had on our team. He just simply got better every time out. He ran a great race on Saturday and was the 4th sixth grader to finish. Ethan has a bright future, and we’re looking forward to two more years with him.
Teagan Dunn- 92nd place (12:17). Teagan ran a great race to help lead us to the podium. Teagan is great in practice, and this work ethic served him well this fall. Hopefully Teagan continues with the sport as he has a lot of untapped potential.
Gavin Aguirree- 119th place (12:30). Gavin will be the first to tell you this wasn’t his best day. Unfortunately he was under the weather this week, and it caught up to him on the second mile. He was in obvious pain but gutted it out. It was quite impressive he was even able to finish with the amount of pain he was experiencing. Gavin is only a 7th grader, and we’re looking forward to having him back next year to lead the team.
Evan Franciscy- 147th place (12:42). “The real one” had a solid showing at state! This was Evan’s first year in cross country, so to qualify for state is quite the accomplishment! Evan brought a good attitude to the team, and we’ll miss his antics next year.
As the boys finished up, so did our season. The rest of the afternoon was filled with some laughs as we made our way back to Herget. I want to thank all the athletes and families for helping make this such a special season. The 2022 team wrote another beautiful chapter in the HXC book and helped continue the proud tradition of Herget Cross Country. #runhxc #beelite
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