As rain poured and mud clung to the spikes of the runners on the girls’ cross-country team, sophomore MJ Seay found herself surrounded by the chaos of the state meet.
“There [were] drums playing [and] there [were] so many people,” said Seay. “It was really fun, though, and we were like, ‘We’re here, this is it.’”
The team finished 15th at the IHSA state meet on Nov. 9, their first state appearance since 2010 and the second in program history.
“We had a group of runners who were committed and ready to push themselves,and we knew we had a real shot [at state] if everything came together,” head coach Bob LeBlanc said.
At the state meet, five runners set personal records: sophomores Veronica Eichmiller and Seay, junior Nicole Golebiowski and seniors Rebecca Zhang and Maria Polyakov.
“A lot of times you finish [a race], like, ‘Oh, I could’ve done this, I could’ve done that,’ but they were just so pumped [to be at state],” said LeBlanc. “Everyone was happy, the parents were happy, the teachers were happy and the coaches were excited. It was just a really fun moment of excitement where you could see the hard work pay off.”
According to Golebiowski, the rain made parts of the state course muddy, particularly in one area where runners struggled to maintain their footing and kept slipping.
“The first time I ran on the mud, I was slipping, struggling,” said Golebiowski. “But then, the second two laps I made sure to go on the side where it was dry ground, and I was able to focus again.”
This season, the team secured the Central Suburban League conference title, and five athletes earned All-Conference recognition, including Zhang, Polyakov, Golebiowski, Eichmiller and Seay.
Before each meet, the team wrote motivational messages on themselves with Sharpie markers, Golebiowski said.
“For conference, I was sick the week before, so my lungs were really weak,” said Golebiowski. “On my arm I wrote ‘I will breathe’ or ‘You can breathe,’ and that’s what I would look at mid-race.”
The team also placed second at regionals, fifth at sectionals and finished the season with a 5-0 conference record.
Golebiowski was especially surprised when the team found out it had finished 15th at state, she said.
“There’s a lot of teams that you go against at the same time, and getting top 15 … was pretty impressive for us,” Golebiowski said.
According to Seay, runners were collapsing at the finish line during the state meet.
“You just give it your all, and then you cross the finish line, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank [gosh],’” said Seay. “You just collapse … The ending is my favorite part to be in because everyone’s on the floor crying. It’s kind of crazy.”