Manual boys’ and girls’ cross country dominate region three meet
The varsity boys region three class AAA teams line up for their race. Photo by Zayne Isom.
October 26, 2019
This story was made with contributions from Amelia Frey (10, J&C)
Both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams qualified for the state meet at the Class AAA Region Three Cross Country Meet on Saturday. The girls’ team came in first place with four top-eight finishes and the boys came in fourth with one top-eight finish.
Manual Girls are Region 3 Champs! pic.twitter.com/EgEOU2RjeA
— Coach Holman (@TimHolman1) October 26, 2019
Prior to the meet, both team captain Abigail Bohn (11, HSU) and head coach, Tim Holman, expressed confidence in the team.
“The girls, with all due respect to the other teams that are out there, should win this,” Holman said. He also said that they’ve put in a lot of work since summer and that grit was a major strength for the team. As for weaknesses, Holman mentioned their tendency to be critical of themselves and to overthink.
Bohn said that the girls had a lot of “mental preparation” going into the meet.
While the teams both placed well, they were somewhat dissatisfied with their times.
Parker Mindel (12, HSU) placed third in the boys’ race. He felt like even though he wasn’t satisfied with his final time, he worked hard throughout the race.
“My time wasn’t where I would’ve wanted it, which is somewhat disappointing, but I absolutely stuck with it from the beginning to the end,” Mindel said.
He also added that he was proud of the team performance.
“The team also did really really good. I’m so proud of these guys, and I wouldn’t want to run with any other team,” Mindel said.
Myecia Bright (12, HSU) had a similar sentiment to Mindel.
“I didn’t get the place that I was looking for or the time that I was looking for,” Bright said. “But I really am proud of my team and myself included because we went after it, and we did the best we could, and we won.”
Jessica Secor came in first place in the meet and mentioned that she tried to focus on her mindset throughout the race.
“I was just focusing on my form and trying to stay positive to get through the race,” Secor said.
The weather was also a factor for the runners. It had rained all day, so the course was muddy, and there were puddles all over the grass. It was also still pretty drizzly during the race.
Assistant coach, Jacob Jury, thought that the weather may have been a factor in the results.
“I feel like our teams did really well considering the conditions,” Jury said. “We’ve had faster times, but it’s not– I mean, that’s not a surprise that these conditions are gonna be like they were.”
Both teams are looking forward to the state meet.
Mindel expressed that as the race will be his last in his high school career, he is looking to run well, but also to have a good time.
“I’m looking forward to getting in one last really fun racing experience in with these guys,” Mindel said. “More than time, more than place, more than how we do as a team, I’m just looking for one last good run.”
The entire Manual cross country team comes together to do a cheer before the girls’ varsity race. Video by Adrienne Sato.
Bright has a set goal in mind for state.
“We want to be champions again,” she said.
Jury is excited to see the team really come together in their final meet.
“I’m looking forward to our best race,” Jury said. “I feel like we have more potential that we didn’t show today.”
He also added that the team was “ready to take what we can at state,” and that he wants the teams to have a great reward at their final meet.
Both teams will go on to compete at the Kentucky State Meet next Saturday, Nov. 2 in Lexington.
