ESA Cross Country Wins Class B Boys and Girls State Championships!

ESA Boys and Girls Cross Country took home Class B State Championships Monday. For the boys’ team, the 2017 championship is the fourth in a row. For the girls, this year’s victory makes three in a row. 

 

ESA boys put four runners in the top ten: Oliver Nickel, 3^rd, Daniel Magann, 4^th, Oliver Vreeland, 5^th, and Ellis Hernandez, 7^th. Rounding out the Falcons’ finishers were Christian Herpin, 13^th, Jackson Spoon, 19^th, and William Lemoine, 22^nd. The team score of 32 put ESA 40 points ahead of runner-up Runnels. The boys’ victory is ESA’s 80^th State title.

 

ESA girls defeated runner-up Runnels by one point (39 to 40) for ESA’s 81^st State title. ESA runners led the way, with Samantha Withers finishing first, Aline Malek, second, and Madeline Breaux, third, followed by Breigh Rodriguez, 12^th, Arden Frantzen, 21^st, Ava Grace Hebert, 31^st, and Leigh Stokes, 40^th. The victory is Samantha Withers’ third individual State title in row.

 

“It’s a team of leaders,” Coach Laura Magann said of both the boys and girls. “That’s exactly how they won. They know how to lead, they know what’s required and they know when to do it. They got the job done. That’s what leaders do.”

 

Assistant Coach Jennifer Graycheck added this about the girls’ one-point win: “Today’s race was the epitome of cross country racing. Every place mattered. Every finish mattered. To take the championship by one point was everything we had worked for… long runs, hard finishes, 600s, 400s, 200s. I am unbelievably proud of these girls. Every one of them – even the girls who didn’t run today. This is a race I will always remember!”

 

At the meet, senior Abby Langford was also recognized as an LHSAA Class B Scholar Athlete.