News Post
Even Without Varsity, Cross Country Team Wins Again
When Hurricane Delta forced the postponement of the Catholic High Cross Country Invitational from October 10 to October 13, Coach Mark LaHaye felt his St. Joseph’s Academy varsity team wouldn’t have sufficient recovery time to race again just four days later. But that didn’t stop SJA from winning its eighth race in eight starts.
On October 17, the Academy fielded two junior varsity teams to compete in the SNL Teurlings Cross Country Invitational in Lafayette. In the first varsity race, SJA’s “B” team placed its five scorers in the top eight spots to win with a low score of 27 points. The “C” team won the second varsity race with its five scorers in the top six spots to score 17 points.
“Kudos to these girls for stepping up and maintaining our winning streak without blinking,” LaHaye said. “This was an opportunity for our second seven to step and prove themselves. I always tell them our B-team can beat anyone’s A-team, and they did it. Our C-team did, as well. This was truly an awesome SJA cross country day.”
In the first varsity race, freshman Grace Rennhoff finished first in a personal-record time of 19:10.0. She was followed by freshman Hannah Vaughan, fifth place, 19:46.0 (personal record); sophomore Claire Beyer, sixth place, 19:58.1; junior Amelia Cochran, seventh place, 20:07.4 (personal record); and junior Lilly Leonard, eighth place, 20:11.3. Senior Anna Camille Eagleton finished ninth in 20:12.1, and senior Macy Howard finished 13th in 20:24.5.
In the second varsity race, sophomore Blair Duggan finished 1st in 20:44.1. She was followed by freshman Julia Monzon, second place, 20:45.3 (personal record); freshman Katelyn Shannon, third place, 20:48.8; senior Catherine Saunders, fifth place, 21:11.6; and freshman Kathryn Casey, sixth place, 21:44.2. Freshman Hadley Ewen finished 15th in 23:09.5, and freshman Hannah Crochet finished 18th in 23:26.1.
“I am so proud of our team,” Rennhoff said. “We always put in so much time, practice and effort, and to see it all pay off is very exciting. It is very rewarding to be part of such an amazing group of friends. I was nervous but at the same time happy to step up and help the varsity team because I know they would do the same for me. The race started off very close, and in the last mile, running up a hill, I just pushed past the first-place runner and ran hard the rest of the way.”
Saunders said she was inspired by the effort put forth by every one of her teammates. “Since our top seven varsity girls didn’t run, we took the opportunity to step up and push ourselves,” she said. “This shows how hard each and every one of us works and shows we can always count on one another to continue moving our team forward. We have had a great season so far, and I have faith that my teammates and I will continue to persevere and run our very best.”
Eagleton said she’s proud of what her teammates accomplished in Lafayette. “Being able to run in place of our varsity squad was truly amazing because it shows just how much depth we have as a team,” she said. “Especially this season, it is extremely valuable to have the depth to compete and win against other teams’ varsity squads.”
Shannon said the win was personal. “I think those of us who ran showed how much we care about the team,” she said. “We ran with an unbelievable amount of drive and determination to make our teammates proud and keep our winning streak alive. To me, this shows that the depth of our team is 100 percent participation and 100 percent teamwork.”
Crochet said that while she wasn’t pleased with her personal time, she was thrilled with the two team victories. “The girls in the first race ran as if they were our top seven, and our score showed it,” she said. “Seeing everyone else do great motivates me to do better at the next race. Coach Mark always tells us that our team has so much depth, and it’s the little things that set us apart from the rest of our competition. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season goes.”
Next up is the Pre-State Meet on October 24 at Northwestern State University at 9:30 a.m.
Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director
Photos courtesy of Mark LaHaye