The 2024 cross-country season was full of much more than running but it was also full of miles and miles of that.
The boys team placed second at state in the fastest Class B race in NSAA history. They won districts, but missing a key runner, the Tigers placed 2nd at Conference.
“We would have been conference champions with Diego healthy, and it was definitely good that we held him back, because you want to him to be healthy at the state meet, not for those meets, but if he just never gotten hurt, we would have had a pretty dominant season, and we honestly could have gave Pius a run for their money, and maybe went for number one instead of securing number two,” Senior Austin Carrera said.
The team leaned on extensive summer miles and a family-like team culture during their cross-country season.
“My favorite part (of the season) was the memories you make. I really love cross-country because it’s like a little family. Everyone gets to know each other really well, and it’s a lot of fun just going out and running together,” junior Darcy Davis said.
The five senior boys who ran at state have ran together since their freshman year and created bonds as a group.
“(The boys team was) zoned into their top four or five people, and then Diego got injured, which was kind of a bummer, but in the end, it turned out the way it was supposed to. Diego was able to run again and he did awesome at districts,” Head Coach Christy Rickert said. “They did great at state, and ended up runner-up. So obviously that was probably my favorite part of their side.”
Motivated by a 4th place finish last season, runners put in up to 600 miles over the summer. Most of the team recorded significant improvements from last season. The boys team credits that effort for the season’s time-cuts. Sophomore Sophia Reynolds improved three places from last year’s finish by placing 5th this year with a time faster than previous state champion times. Senior Austin Carrera improved two places from last year’s finish, and placed 2nd. Carrera ended his career with three individual state medals.
“I think everybody just likes shifted modes. Last year, (the girls team) all just ran, but this year we’re like, ‘Oh, we actually wanted to improve,’” Reynolds said.
The trend of improving times at state was seen across Class B this year with the boys top five times setting new all-time state records.
“This is our best team that we’ve had come to Hastings. We got runner-up and didn’t get a state title like those older teams, but we also had a diverse team like Pius, which means really just an incredible team, so I think for Hastings, this year was super, super good,” Carrera said.
The girls team placed 5th at conference and 2nd at districts Reynolds believes cross-country would not be the same without the family culture within the team and being able to run and have fun with them.
“I know this might be biased, but I think cross-country has the best team and bonding in the whole school. All of us are best friends and everybody’s so nice,” Reynolds said. “We’re all running together and nobody loves running, but it’s not something you can judge someone else on. You can go as fast as you want, as slow as you want, and everybody’s just happy. I mean, it is mentally tough, but it does grow you as a person. I would do (cross-country) for the team.”
Rickert shares the same belief about the positive team culture and work ethic the team brings.
“On the girls’ side, my favorite part was just that they worked hard and they still had fun. They did a really good job of trying to include everybody,” Rickert said. “The things that they did were like our dress up week that we did during state week, I thought they had a really good time. Coach Kyle and I dressed up a couple days, and it just gets everybody more familiar with each other and builds team camaraderie. That was probably the most fun part on the girls’ side.”
The girl’s team looks to continue their trend of time cuts this season after placing 9th at state. They will return their top six runners despite graduating one senior. According to Reynolds, the girls team has a better shot of medaling as a team next year. Reynolds was proud of how the season went and looks forward to the potential of bringing home a state trophy on the girls side next year.
“I’d say that we got most of our goals. I mean, we were kind of hoping to place further up at state, but we are all going to be back next year, and we’re all looking to PR and all looking to work hard,” Reynolds said. “I feel like this year we worked a lot harder than we did last year, and we pushed each other more in practices, and I think it really showed from their improvement.”
The team battled with injuries such as a concussion, two calf injuries, a hip injury, and a leg stress fracture. A key injury came early in the season when Diego Chajolin suffered a stress fracture. Although he couldn’t run on land, he found a solution to his problem, running in the water. While this alternative wasn’t ideal, it ultimately allowed Chajolin to stay in shape and make up for the lost time.
“I got a stress fracture in my leg and was out running for about four weeks, so I only had two weeks to really prepare for probably one of the biggest races of my life. Getting hurt was definitely a big obstacle,” Chajolin said. “Sitting out watching others give it their all and not being able to win those races that we know we should have (was difficult).”
Reynolds credits the coaches for their support and encouragement of their runners while the coaches believe the self-motivation shown by the team has led to their success.
“They’re really motivational, and they just helped me to do my best in practice and in the races. I feel like they’re close to everybody on the team, and it just makes the environment better,” Reynolds said.
The boy’s team is graduating six varsity members this year. Rickert saw first-hand the work the senior class had put in through the last four years. She is proud of her team for getting runner-up through hard work.
“They worked hard for it. They put in the time, put in the effort, and I think they’re very deserving of it,” Rickert said.
