Cross Country Team Races to Glory

The Fair Grove Cross Country team looks to finish strong in the 2022 season, which is already in full swing.

The team hopes to make it past the district meet and all the way to state, Coach Jalen Supancic said, “We are pushing hard for both our Boys and Girls teams to qualify as many runners as possible and to shoot for qualifying an entire team by placing in the top 4 at our district meet in October.” 

The cross country team is led by Liam Draper and Evyn Jones. They are both considered pivotal to the success of the team, Supancic explained, “They are responsible for helping establish communication and commitment with our teams and help push positive feedback and improvement for their teammates. They are a pivotal part of our program and are continuing to learn how to lead and guide our teams into more success.” These two were selected for their work ethic and their understanding of people. They both are committed to the team according to Supancic. 

Last season Nolen Geitz qualified for the state meet while others came close. Multiple goals and PRs (personal records) were attained. Enough to be considered a success by Supancic, but the team is looking to build further on their success, Liam Draper stated, “My biggest goal for the season is to make state as a team.” 

Any goal will not come to fruition without putting in the requisite amount of effort, this is no different in the world of cross country which can have tough competition at each meet. Supancic said, “We ran and tried to log a lot of miles this summer in preparation for a strong season this year. Some of our top runners this summer ran close to 60 total miles during our team runs in June. We have also been working hard since day one of practice to improve our form and technique so that we can meet our time goals and expectations.”

The work the team put in has been tested already in meets. As a team they placed third in Stockton and in their home meet. Nolen Geitz, Luke Buescher, and Audrey Lemon have placed highly for the high school team while Katrina Cantwell, Elise Jackson, and Cinch Dowling have placed well for the middle school team. 

The Fair Grove Cross Country team’s conference meet will take place on October 20, along with their district meet on October 29.