The Okawville Cross Country team has had a very successful season. Going into postseason they knew they had their work cut out for them, but with their hard work throughout the season, they had no doubt they would be successful. In post-season at regionals, they advance the top 5 individual runners and top 7 teams.
They attended their regional meet at Wesclin on Saturday, October 21st. The weather was ideal for running, and the warrior’s course was relatively flat. With all of these elements and the Rocket’s determination through the season both the girls’ and boys’ teams made it to the sectional meet. The girls team placed 4th. While the boys came out with a tie for 7th place. This meet was a huge eye-opener for the boys as they realized that every runner matters and you need to give it your all no matter what your circumstances are.
After a week of preparing for their sectional meet, they attended Benton’s course on Saturday, October 31st. At the sectional meet, they advance the top 7 teams and the top 10 individual runners to the state meet. The weather was not ideal for the runners as they had to endure mud, slippery hills, and rain in their eyes. This was the perfect representation of the mental strength a runner has to go through. The runners never gave up, even when they “met the mud” a few times. Although the boys and girls did not advance as teams, the girls’ team has two individual advancers Caroline Tepe and Lydia Luechtefeld. Caroline had an impressive time of 17:54 and ended up placing 6th overall. While Lydia had a time of 19:58 and put up an outstanding place of 10th out of the individual runners.
The Lady Rockets will run on Saturday, November 4th at Detwiller Park in Peoria. “I am really excited to go to the state after working for it all four years. This is not an opportunity that everyone gets, so I am extremely grateful to get to do it. It feels nice to see all my hard work throughout the years finally paying off.” says Senior, Lydia Luechtefeld. With the girls’ hard work and determination, there is no doubt they will do a great job representing our school and community.
