On Saturday, November 2nd, boys and girls cross country competed in the state meet at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. After a hard-fought run, the boys team placed first and the girls team placed second.
“I felt confident that we were going to win before the meet since our team was undefeated against all other 5A teams this season,” senior Will Carlson said. “Our performance wasn’t the best and we know we could’ve done better, but it was enough to secure the state championship.”
The boys cross country team won state last year, and this year was no different. Tristan Arceneau, Will Carlson, Joey Reid, Aaron Wimbish, Liam Dunleavy, Jack Thompson, and Tyler Morefield all competed at state, earning the boys team a win at state. The boys team score was seventy seven.
“I was really happy for our boys,” Coach Kelly said. “We accomplished our team goal and faced a lot of adversity this season.”
On the girls side of the competition, Camryn Benson, Bridget Bernal, Campbell Lester, Sofia Dominguez, Sophie Brooks, Jocelyn Chapman, and Harper Jaynes earned silver. The girls team score was ninety seven.
“Overall, we could have executed better as a team, but it was a great day of competition and we all learned a lot,” junior Sofia Dominguez said.
Both teams hit the ground running in the beginning of the season, and although they suffered setbacks with injuries, they kept going. The teams prepared by making sure they ate healthy, got sufficient sleep, stayed hydrated, and prepared for Saturday with tapering.
“We took it pretty easy about a week out and just did lots of recovery to keep our legs light and ready for Saturday,” junior Camryn Benson said. “I felt very good before the meet. I felt very prepared and overall super excited for the competition.”
State meets have always been extremely competitive and this year was no different. The top competitors for boys 5a were Frisco Wakeland and Boerne. Boerne placed behind the boys along with Frisco Wakeland getting the bronze. The top competitors for the girls 5a were Smithson Valley and Aledo. Smithson Valley outscored the lady leopards followed by Aledo placing third.
“Boerne got second place by sixty points and kept it pretty competitive, but through the second mile of the race I knew that we were going to win,” sophomore Tristan Arceneau said.
The future is bright for both teams, as they have their team’s full of strong runners who are ready to compete to the high standards that are precedent in the program. Sophomore Arceneau placed ninth in the state meet and has two more years left to compete for the leopards.
“I think the future is in good hands,” Carlson said. “We have young talent with runners such as Tristan Arceneau and Joey Reid that will be running against next year.”
On November 23, Lovejoy cross country will compete at Nike Cross Regionals South Championships (NXR) in The Woodlands. The top two teams from NXR will qualify for the national championship in Oregon.
“We are preparing for NXR right now in hopes to make it to nationals, but after that we are getting ready to smoke the competition in track,” Benson said.
