By Jake Hasenauer - NPHS Cross Country
The Bulldogs competed hard and battled well on one of the of the toughest meets in Class A history. The times were very fast across the board today. It was a cold day, but perfect weather for the runners to run quick. Both teams battled well and competed at a high level.
The girls led off the class A races competing at a high level. Nearly all of them set all time personal records and all of them ran their fastest times ever on that course. The girls had a stellar season. They were able to win five meets this year, became the first girls team to qualify for state in class A since 2006 (they qualified in class B in 2018), and racing at the state meet was icing on the cake. These girls battled all year and they kept getting better, I have been very, very proud of them. Zarah led the team today as she finished 16th. I was proud of how Zarah competed and it was disappointing for her to be one spot away from medaling, but she ran her fastest race of all time and placed 10 spots higher than last season!
The boys ace followed and was an exciting race to watch. The boys were returning to state after qualifying for state last year. The competed at a high level in a very tough field. The boys finished 10th in Class A in 2019 and matched that by finishing in 10th again today. The boys team average was 17:08 today, which matched the 2010 Bulldogs cross country team that finished 4th at state that year. Almost all the boys set personal records and it was a great way to cap off the season. Evan Caudy led the way for the Bulldogs finishing in an impressive time of 15:51 and medaling 4th in Class A and finishing 5th all class!
Both our teams accomplished a lot of big things and I’m proud of how they worked hard all year! In a year of uncertainties and unknowns, today and this season was a joyful moment. I’m so proud of each of our kids and so thankful they were given the opportunity to compete all year and finish the year on a high note. We will miss many great Seniors from this year, but we will be excited to be back in action in 2021! It’s a great year to be a Bulldog!