The boys raced first under crystal clear but slightly too warm for November skies. By the first mile, it was clear that the team was in strong positions from 1-7, and that would remain the case throughout. As the race progressed, Caleb Freifeld and Griffin Davidson hung just behind the leading pack of four, with Ike Tift not far behind. Those three would all end up in the top 10 (5th, 7th, and 10th, respectively) and were more than capably supported by a wave of runners not far behind - Drew Zwerner and Jack Fruin consecutively in 16th and 17th, and James Little in 20th. Caleb Little, who had been too sick to run last week at Region, was still capable of cracking the top 30 today in 29th. When the proverbial dust settled, the boys had won by 56 points, a massive gap that was so dominant that the team would have still handily won without its top two runners or even if we had counted all seven runners vs the other teams’ five. It was indeed an historic performance.
With the boys race complete and championship energy buzzing in the air, it was time for the girls to take to course. Qualifying only individuals the previous two years, the girls had not toed the line 7 strong as a TEAM since 2023. For our 4-four year seniors Madeleine Wiseman, Jackie Seale, Adelaide Ritter, and Norah Harrison,
returning to this line as a team one final time had been their mission all season. Joined by state new comers sophomores Sydney Lasher and Greenlee Davidson, and freshman Lucy Garrison, the girls race went off under the same clear skies and only slightly warmer temps.
Madeleine led her tigers from the start to a stellar 11th place and 3rd All-State finish of her HS career. Jackie was close behind in 23rd and finished nearly 2 minutes faster than she did on the same course last year! Next to kick down the finishing stretch was state meet first timer Sydney in 31st who made excellent moves up then field throughout the race to finish with a lifetime PR. Running as a strong pack of three for much of the race, Greenlee, Adelaide, and Norah were next to finish. Greenlee broke away with a tremendous sprint finish to cross in 65th, followed by Adelaide in 70th to earn a season PR and round out our top five. Norah and Lucy were close behind in 73rd and 83rd sealing the team’s strong day of racing and closing out our comeback season with pride. The girls team finished 3rd overall, flipping the script and edging out region opponents BGA by nearly 30 points. After a two year drought, to return to the state championship and give such a strong collective effort, the girls should all be proud. They got a glimpse at the podium this year, no doubt their target has already been set for the next.