On Nov. 9, cross country competed in states at Hereford High School. The girls’ team featured sophomores Mallory McCartney, Madilyn Coyle, Brooklynn Eagan, and Emily Wilson, along with junior Kendall Chandler and seniors Eden Hussung and Natalie Barndt. The boys’ team included freshman Jonas Goodman, sophomores Walter Scarborough, Braylen Gray, and Noah Hussung, junior Trent O’Laughlin, and seniors Gavin Redding and Justin Collins.
Coyle stated, “I prepared for states by eating pasta the night before and by making sure I was doing the workout effectively. The workouts we did to prepare were hills, easy runs, and tempo runs.”
Coyle continued, “One of my favorite parts of states was probably taking pictures at the end with my friends, but also the new jerseys we got because it made the experience so much more fun.”
On Nov.21, Chandler, along with Collins and Hussung, headed to Cary, North Carolina to compete at nationals as unattached runners.
Chandler stated, “I’m happy with how I did. I set a new lifetime P.R., which was pretty cool. But I would definitely want to rerun it again now that I know what to expect.” She continued, “I wasn’t really familiar with the course except for a walk-through before, so I really didn’t know where to go faster or where to go slower. It just went by really fast, so I would like to do it again and do better. But, for it being the first time, I was pretty happy with how I did.”
Hussung explained, “I would have liked to have done a little better than I did. I was a few seconds off my season-best time. But I’m very happy considering it was after taking off a month due to an injury and returning to run again two weeks before the event.”
Collins stated, “ I’m now focusing on track since the cross-country season has wrapped up. But one of my favorite moments from nationals was just warming up with the other guys from Harford County.”
Collins added, “Competing at nationals felt like a real achievement, especially after putting in the work for a good time. As a senior, I’m glad I had the chance to finish the year on a high note with nationals.”
Hussung’s favorite moment from nationals had to be when she was crossing the finish line. Hussung stated, “I had this feeling that I ran with all my heart out on the course, and just the feeling of knowing that I put it all out there was just the best I could ask for. Which makes me sad that it’s already ending so soon.”
Chandler finished, saying, “My favorite moment was when we first arrived. We were just so excited and were bubbling with anticipation. Looking around, we spotted numerous teams from Harford County, including Harford Tech, Edgewood, and Patterson Mill. It felt amazing to be in such a competitive environment, especially with familiar faces around that made the experience enjoyable and memorable.”