On Oct.11 cross country competed in their Conference Meet. Junior Tayler McMeekin, Sophomore  Elena Almonte,  Senior Jacob Lind, and Senior Jaden Karren all placed within the top fourteen runners on both boys and girls teams, making it the first year the cross country team has had four runners make the All Conference team. 

McMeekin and Lind made the first All Conference team for girls and boys, while Almonte and Karren made the second team. 

“Personally I didn’t expect to place because prior to September I had been injured for about 5 months and I came into the cross season about 3 weeks late,” Lind said.

Lind’s season started late, he was not expecting to place at the conference meet. Lind said that he was pretty excited but was hoping that his family and coaches would be just as excited coming out of his injury because he just wanted to make them proud.

“I felt excited and relieved that I placed again but I was a little bit bummed that the results weren’t as good as what I had done the years before,” McMeekin said.

McMeekins season consisted of some time in the pool because of shin splints, she wanted to keep her ligaments as pain free as possible and keep most impact off of her shins. 

“I was 11th at the Northwestern meet, and it was around that time that I began to think about making all conference, since there were a lot of similar teams. I had the thought in the back of my mind until about two weeks before the conference meet when Sims told me he thought I had a solid shot at placing,” Almonte said.

This was only Almonte’s second year running Cross and having a chance to place at the conference meet. When Lee Sims, Head coach of the Cross Country Team, told her that he believed she had a shot at placing, that confidence and faith in her made her believe that she could place also.

“Both Tayler and Jacob had been nursing injuries leading up to the meet, but they both had such grit and determination that nothing was stopping them from giving it their all.  As for Elena and Jaden, they had been looking so strong at meets and practices in the weeks leading up to conference,” said Lindsey Smith, Assistant Coach.

Both of the coaches had faith in the runners and were super excited when they found out four of them placed. As it was Linds and Karrens senior year, this is a big accomplishment.