By RYAN WALKER
It was just another weekend race for the Norwell girls’ cross country team Saturday morning, taking yet another post-season first-place finish. This time, the Lady Knights won the regional hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University, and it wasn’t even close.
Norwell finished with a team score of 68, and to put the dominance in perspective, Adams Central, the ACAC champion, finished in second with a score of 100.
Head coach Vanessa Macias Hannie said that they even did it with an injury to one of its best runners. Their usual sixth runner, Elizabeth Norris, stepped up to the challenge and finished fifth on the team, helping the Knights advance to the semi-state race.
“They ran as a team again. They ran together,” she said, “We talked about every spot counts and fighting to the finish, and they did. Their eyes are still bound on states, and we’ll see where we get next week, and the goal is to have fun and do their best.”
Next week, Macias Hannie’s group will race again at Indiana Wesleyan at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct 22.
Yes, they will be at the same course as the regional due to the IHSAA’s removal of the previous semi-state host Huntington University due to a recent spiral of events within the school’s cross-country program.
On top of racing at a familiar course, Macias Hannie says that Norwell will be on fall break and will have an opportunity to focus on the race.
“It’ll be really nice to have some low-key time to just get mentally tough and mentally prepared for this week and what that could look like.”
The finishing places and times for Norwell were Ashley Waldman in 7th place at 20:29.0, Brooklyn Meyer in 8th at 20:30.3, Addison Meyer in 11th at 20:34.8, Makenzee Kahn in 15th at 20:41.6, Elizabeth Norris in 38th at 21:53.7, Haleigh Reinhard in 42nd at 22:07.0, and Alana Cady in 45th at 22:15.7.
Although the Southern Wells girls’ team did not make it together, Alexis Leidig advanced as an individual during the sectional hosted by Indiana Wesleyan, a shocker.
Leidig finished the race in 75th at 23:54.8., just a few seconds longer than her previous race in sectionals, which was almost everything Monica Edgeman could ask for.
“She did exactly what she should do and maybe went out a little too fast,” she said. “You get that adrenaline going, and it’s a poison sometimes. She basically ran about what she did last week, so I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The sophomore, according to Edgeman, was excited about the race and to work hard in the off-season to build upon a great year.
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