On November 2, 2017, Midlo’s Cross Country team competed in one of the biggest meets of the year: 4A Region B Cross Country Regional Championship. This competition challenges every participant, for the course boasts ruthless hills, unsteady ground, and narrow pathways. Regardless of the grueling pain the runners endured, everyone boarded the returning vans with proud smiles.

At 3:15, the starting gun sounded, and the Midlo Varsity Girls began their journey. The team consisted of Annabel Schepker, Ashlyn Ferguson, Katherine Krievs, Eva Johnson, Chloe Martin, Lauren Merrill, and Caroline Bowe. As the runners began their first mile, Schepker, Bowe, and Ferguson held ground in the leading pack, ready to fight for a title. The competition continued, and Schepker started challenging runners, which resulted in her finishing in a stunning fifth place. Close behind, Ferguson used her speedy skills to fend off a competitor by 0.3 seconds, completing the race in eighth place. Next came Krievs in tenth, Johnson in thirteenth, and Martin, finishing in fifteenth place. Merrill and Bowe completed the race in twenty-second and twenty-third place, respectively. Ferguson, a senior, shares that the race felt “bittersweet,” but she was glad to “share the experience with freshmen.”  

Shortly after the girls’ race concluded, the boys race began; the Midlo boys felt determined to win, as well as to make Coach Stan Morgan proud. The team consisted of Max Etka, Ian Gray, Andrew Steenkamer, Doug McCreight, Thomas Gray, Clay Robb, and Kellan Nedwick. As the race progressed, Etka led the pack, and eventually emerged as the winner of the Regional competition. Following behind Etka, I. Gray finished third in the region, earning respect from teammates and competitors alike. Steenkamer completed the race in sixth place, followed by McCreight, who crossed the line in tenth. In nineteenth place, T. Gray used his speed to fend off a competitor that finished only 1.3 seconds after him. Following T. Gray, Robb finished in twenty-fifty, and Nedwick completed the race in thirty-third place.

Following the conclusion of the boys’ race, the awards ceremony began, and Midlo swept the podium, for both teams won the championship trophy. On the boys’ side, Etka, I. Gray, Steenkamer, and McCreight took the stage, earning medallions for finishing in the top ten places. Schepker, Ferguson, and Krievs also stepped into the spotlight, as they received medallions for completing the race in the top ten places. Coach Morgan remarks that the runners performed “excellently” and “have a chance at finishing second or third” at the state meet. 

Midlo Cross Country shined Thursday, demonstrating the superiority of Midlothian Cross Country. State competition begins on Friday, November 10.