Capital Area Cross Country Championships
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So…a week late with this one! In my defense there is a general write up of the meet posted on NHXC written promptly by yours truly, but not specifically for our team, the bestest team in the universe. So here it is…
The Capital Area Cross Country Championship is one of the oldest meets in the state, started in the late 70’s by my former high school coach (for two years), John Goegel. After running it for 30+ years he handed it off to myself, and we’ve hosted it at Merrimack Valley ever since (12 years or so?). I’ve been runner-up twice back in the 90’s, and I believe Coach Maxfield won it in 1988 or so. It is a meet with a lot of local history.
The meet starts with the gender-combined JV race. There is a fair amount on the line, as typically placement at Cap. Area is the single largest determinant of the State Meet Varsity team (but not the only determinant), and JV times count. Certainly the top finisher is at least likely to be the alternate. But with many positions in flux over the season, while the top 6 were pretty set, the 7th and 8th spots were really up for grabs. The race was quick, with 3 of the 4 MV contenders setting season or personal bests, but the race of the day went to Nicole in a PR, her first time under 27! Now it was just a wait and see for the varsity race to determine her spot on the team. Also highlighting the race was the final race by our sole senior, Eliza, who ran a strong race and finished with a smile on her face! She received the traditional cactus to take to college or wherever her travels may take her upon graduation.
After a gap for the boys race it was time for the girls. Right from the gun it was made clear that the winner would have to fight off MV, as Lily and Maddy went right to the front with Sydney on their heels. The early pace did eventually cool off, but Maddy was able to ride the early rush to a whopping 0.49 second PR of 22:00.59. That was enough to place her as 10th on MV’s All-Time list for the Ravine Course (since 2012) and 19th overall in the race. Running an all-time PR, and only 17 seconds behind Maddy was Sydney, scoring a 25th place ribbon. Despite getting caught up in the cycle of frustration after her hot start Lily stayed strong and squeaked into the awards in 29th place, still running a respectable time in the process. Lily showed her perseverance today! Keira continued her fantastic fall campaign, taking another chunk off her time to solidify her spot on the team. It was a little bit of a wait for the 5th and final scoring team member to cross, but in the end it was Kendra just ahead of Emily. Both ran solid races, and Emily demonstrated great toughness by battling through a painful cramp. Reagan was our 7th and final runner, and despite running a fantastic first two miles finished just a bit slower than Nicole’s time, putting Nicole on the State Meet team. Reagan did run fast enough to stay on as our 8th alternate, a spot that’s been needed probably a third of the time over the years. Not a bad showing for someone who had never run XC before this fall!