Jamie Lammers, Nederland. On October 26, the Nederland Middle Senior High School Girls Cross Country Team competed in the 2019 Colorado State Championships in Colorado Springs. The team -- which includes Helen Cross, Elysia Nitsch, Ivy Brundege, Annabel Ivey, Eirwen McClish and Alex Sorokach -- qualified on October 17th when they ran their Regional Meet. 

At Regionals, the team won 4th place overall and Helen won 1st place individually. Racing in the 2A Championships, they finished in 11th place as a team. Helen finished second place overall, bringing home a podium finish and maintaining the 2A Championship course record she set in 2017. 

Accompanying them was the boys’ team, consisting of Noah Turner and Hakan Chunton. While the boys team was too small to qualify for the championship on their own, they cheered the girls on as they ran the race. 

Much like the 2017 championship, this one was a success both individually and as a team for the Nederland cross country girls. The team faced many challenges on their path to the championship, including injuries and issues with a smaller cross country team. As a comparison, their main competition at the championship, Lyons, won the 2A state title this season and has a 27 member team that has been led by the same coach for over 20 years. However, the Nederland team was persistent and kept training despite these obstacles, and many members were pleasantly surprised when they learned they had qualified for the state championships. 

The core reason for that persistence is the feeling of family that has formed in the group. All of the members have incredibly similar passions. They welcome newcomers, like this year’s Noah and Annabel, with open arms and have become huge support systems for one another. Even Meagan Figgins, who decided not to participate in cross country this year, still cheered the team on at their race in Dawson and continues her strong bond with the current members. That family aspect is the heart and soul of the cross country team, and every member agrees that the connection between them is incredibly strong and the best part of the group. Every member of the cross country team has been running since middle school, and their dedication to the sport is also a crucial part of their success. Without that dedication towards improving themselves as individuals and as a collective, their accomplishment at the championship wouldn’t have been anywhere near as grand. Without the compassion they share as a group, their dynamic as a unit, the feeling of family amongst them, and their willingness to work together, the cross country team wouldn’t be nearly as motivated as they have been this entire season.

 Running is an incredibly difficult sport, with many races physically exhausting the runners so much that they vomit once they’re over. Seeing the accomplishments that result from the hard work of the runners is always an absolute joy. Seeing the team celebrating those accomplishments, as they did by going to Red Robin after the championship was over, is even better. For everyone involved in high school cross country, this has been a way to demonstrate their motivation and dedication as Nederland student-athletes, and for the seniors in particular, this has been a final season to remember.

If you are curious about the runner’s personal records and their State and Regional results, their 5K race results you can read below:

State Championship Meet

Helen Cross 19:34.50

Elysia Nitsch 23:47

Annabel Ivey 24:04.8

Alex Sorokach 25:15.5 

Eirwen McClish 26:17

Ivy Brundege 30:11

The boys did not race.

Personal Records:

Helen: 18:52

Ely: 21:41.11

Annabel: 23:38.04

Alex: 23:48.50

Eirwen: 25:40.64

Ivy: 28:30.00

Noah: 21:22 

Hakan: 21:42.85

Places in Regional Meet

1st place Helen

19th Elysia Nitsch

27th Annabel Ivey 

37th Alex Sorokach

49th Eirwen McClish

54th Ivy Brundege

Here are the boys’ times:

Noah Turner: 21:37.00

Hakan: 23:26.00

(Originally published in the November 7, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)