This piece was submitted by Amelia Jones (10, J&C). 

Last Thursday, Manual girls’ varsity cross country took first place in the JCPS Championship meet. The race was a 5k at Tom Sawyer Park. 

Despite the unexpected heat, the girls held a strong lead throughout the race that resulted in 4 Manual runners placing in the top 5. Jessie Secor (11, HSU) came in first, finishing at 18 minutes and 48 seconds. Emma Endress (11) from Butler finished second with Nicole Farnsley (12, VA) not far behind, placing 3rd. Mia Treinen (12, HSU) and Maggie May (9, VA) followed, coming in 4th and 5th. 

Together, the team averaged at 19 minutes and 38 seconds, defeating Eastern, Ballard, Male, Brown, and Atherton. 

Coach Hartlage claims that “the girls, top to bottom, have stepped up and improved tremendously.” His goal for the race was not just to win, but to have a perfect score, knowing coming into the race that the team would bring home the win. 

Secor held the lead from the beginning, feeling confident that her team would score highly.  She feels that “overall [the team] did pretty well.” Secor adds that throughout the season, she “feels like [her] mentality has improved a lot.” After putting her trust in her coaches, she feels better about who she is as a runner. She also says the end of the race is the best because she gets to cheer on her teammates. 

Before the race varsity runner Emerson Wyatt (9, MST) said that she was very nervous, fearing that she would not do as well as she hoped. However, she knows that her teammates had her back. Mentioning how Farnsley “has really helped [her] through [her] nerves before races and is a really amazing leader.” Wyatt finished in 6th just steps behind May saying that she “felt strong and felt confident,” and that having a good race comes with having a good mindset. 

 The girls will compete in the regional meet Saturday, October 23.