On October 16, 2019, the Midlothian Cross Country Team ran at Pocahontas State Park for one of the last regular season meets of the year. Afterwards, the team celebrated its senior runners for years of hard work. Emotions ran high as they stood on the grass plain, where they have spent years training, racing, and pouring their hearts out for their sport. Reality spread across the runners’ faces, as they realized this would be one of the last times they ran for this team. The senior runners received much respect from the underclassmen for their dedication to the sport, as they serve as role models to the younger athletes.

The team includes several senior boys this year: Austin Bergh, Joey Maguire, Ben McCormack, Trey Schunder, Ben Scott, and Karsten Weeks.  These athletes grew close while running together throughout their time on the team.  Of his greatest achievement during his high school career, Maguire fondly remembers “when [he] got second place at the state championship [his] junior year.” At this particular race, the boys ran hard and earned sixth place.

The three senior girls, Sydney Carpenter, Alex Murias, and Annabel Schepker, each received a rose from Junior Varsity Coach David Benjamin. The ladies have made a significant impact on the team throughout their high school years, which led to an emotional goodbye. The girls ran hard that night, earning second place overall at the meet. Despite the cold, rainy conditions, the girls still managed to give an impressive show, staying on pace and fighting until the finish. As the seniors prepared, the clouds parted, and the sun came out just in time to celebrate the seniors for all their cross country achievements.