The cross country team took on their last lap of the season this past weekend at the state meet in Round Rock Saturday. The girls team took home the state championship title and the boys left the meet second in the state.
“I am beyond proud of our girls for winning the state championship for the second year in a row,” head girls coach Carly Littlefield said. “They dominated from start to finish and broke the state record for the lowest-scoring team in history.”
The girls team consisted of senior Amy Morefield, junior Kailey Littlefield, freshman Camryn Benson, junior Sara Morefield, junior Peyton Benson, junior Kate Carlson, and freshman Jocelyn Chapman. The team finished with an 18:32 average time.
“I was really excited to win state because that has been our whole goal this season and what we have worked for over the last five months,” Sara said. “Winning state means a lot because getting to win with my sister and best friends is something very special.”
The boys team consisted of sophomore William Carlson, junior Joe Bluestein, sophomore Devin Muaina, junior Nick Yarad, sophomore Caden Gary, sophomore Henry Bennion, and junior Andrew Poulton. The boys finished with a 16:32 average time.
“The boys also had an awesome day and earned the state runner-up title,” Carly said. “They ran their hearts out and overcame some flu that had been spreading this week. I am so proud of them.”
The team had a victorious road to the state championship meet as both the boys and girls teams swept the regionals meet.
“I am so proud to wear Lovejoy on my uniform and I am going to miss being a part of this team,” Amy said. “I am so glad that we got to end the season on such a good note”
This is not the end for many of these athletes, as the team is looking to chase many more state titles in years to come.
“My expectation for next season is to win state for a third time,” Sara said. “Go back to back to back.”
Both the boys and girls have a lot of experienced underclassmen that have already gotten their taste on varsity. The boys team sent four freshmen to state and the girls team sent two freshmen to the meet.
“The future of our program looks amazing,” Yarad said. “This year, we didn’t have any seniors in our top seven runners which means our team will only get better from here. I’m so happy we have so many motivated underclassmen who consistently show up to practice ready to get better. Although we didn’t win this year, we will train our hardest to win next year.”
Looking into the future, the team has many returning runners, and they hope all that hard work pays off when the first meet of the season starts next fall.
“Putting two teams on the podium is a testament to the work these kids have been putting in since they were in middle school,” Carly said. “They make sacrifices that many teenagers aren’t willing to make to be at this elite level. They have a work ethic that can only be reflected if you watch them race. It is truly amazing.”
