On Saturday, November 2nd, West Lauderdale Cross Country Knights had a dramatic end to their season. This day marked the boy’s second state championship win in a row at Clinton, MS. This meet’s champion was once again Hunter Walton with a time of 17:10. Following Hunter, Aaron Walls placed in 6th with a time of 17:48, Foster Windham in 7th with a time of 17:57, Brody Gressett in 9th with a time of 18:00, Stone Berg in 12th with a time of 18:20, Ryan Thompson in 27th with a time of 18:57, and finally Sawyer Windham in 50th place with a time of 20:03.
Following the boys, the girl’s Cross Country Team were runners-up for first place. This team consisted of Alli Walton in 8th place with a time of 22:06, Nora Peterson in 12th with a time of 22:24, Ruby Fairchild in 13th with a time of 22:31, Abbie Cruse in 28th with a time of 24:09, Lydia Stewart in 29th with a time of 24:11, Brianna Graybill in 72nd with a time of 27:20, and finally Kennedy Pogue in 92nd with a time of 28:48. Though this group did not reach first place, their determination and effort to win shone in this meet.
This was a meet that had an atmosphere like no other. Foster Windham says, “It was a very positive experience. Even though I was focused on keeping my pace, I could hear my family and friends encouraging me from the sides. When I crossed the finish line, I felt very excited and relieved. Although I didn’t PR, I still accomplished my goal of top 10 in the state for the second year in a row. I also felt a little sad, as I knew that it was my last race as a part of this team.”
This season helped everyone grow not only as runners but as a team. According to Foster Windham, “This season, especially coming off of a state win last year, helped me to realize that I, as well as my teammates, can be as good as many of the teams and runners we look up to and compete against. That, as well as the fact that it’s my senior year, encouraged me to work even harder than I had before. With regards to my teammates, we’ve become so close over the past few years through our common sacrifice. I think this bond is what helped us to get to where we are now. We always run together, which allows us to stay near each other in a race, leading to a lot more victories than having every runner spread out.”
West Lauderdale’s Cross Country Knights put their all into this season. The training they went through was all for state, and they demonstrated it at this final meet. Though they were champions this year, they still intend to put forward effort into next year’s season as well. Congratulations to these runners, and stay tuned for next year!
