On Monday, November 2nd, the Lady Saders cross country toed the starting line for the last time in the unusual 2020 season, ready to make their move at the TAPPS 6A State Cross Country Championship in Hewitt, TX. The season began with uncertainties and intersquad meets, but it ended with the highest Concordia cross country team finish in school history, State Runner-up! The Lady Saders’ nail-biting second place finish situated them one point in front of Dallas Ursuline and five points in front of St. Agnes Academy from Houston, two very large all girl schools that are perennial favorites for the state title.
The runner-up finish was made possible by a strong collective team effort, with all five scoring team members placing in the race’s top thirty. Leading the way with All-State finishes were senior Lauryn K. in 4th place and freshman Megan G. in 9th place, followed by junior Ava Z. in 15th, sophomore Jessica M. in 22nd, and sophomore Shelby H. in 29th.
In addition to their running honors, senior Lauryn K. and junior Ava. Z. earned prestigious Academic All State awards. In order to be named Academic All State, Lauryn and Ava finished in the top 15 in the championship race and maintained a cumulative GPA of 90% of higher.
Concordia’s girls cross country team is coached by twin sisters and CLHS cross country alumni (class of 2005) Michelle Luevano and Jennifer Schranz. Coach Luevano commented on their strong finish to the season, “Monday was such an amazing moment in time that our entire team will never forget! Coach Schranz and I couldn't be more honored at how hard these ladies worked for us each and every day. We absolutely love these ladies, their parents, and our team community so much. This team's leadership, bond, unity, love for each other, and desire to run with purpose and to "Run4theOne" was evident in every step this season.”
Congratulations to senior Lauryn K. on her 4th place finish! Read on to hear her reflections on her last state meet and senior season with the Lady Saders.
What was going through your head right after you finished?
Coming up around 200 meters before the end of the race I was a few seconds behind a girl on another team and facing an uphill battle toward the finish line. I heard Coach Lev on the side of the course telling me to go pass her. In order to pass someone in the last 200 meters, you really have to change gears and leave it all on the course. You can't feel your legs or arms. All you see is the back of the person in front of you, and luckily right before the finish line I passed her to take the 4th place spot. In my mind, I was just so happy that I won that mental battle and decided to chase her down and not just be content with where I was. The next ten minutes consisted of me lying on the ground and trying to figure out why it felt like I swallowed sandpaper.
What did your coaches tell you before the race?
I have been beyond blessed to have the best coaches I could ever ask for. They know from experience how stressful big meets like this can be, and they know exactly what to say to inspire confidence and courage in us. Their message is one of trust. Trusting yourself, your abilities, and having confidence in all the hard work we have put in before the season. Trusting that each of our teammates will put forth the utmost effort and "do their job." Trusting that the results will reflect the race. And most importantly trusting that God will be with us every step of the race.
How did you feel after running your last high school race?
Today was definitely a little bittersweet. I am so proud of this team and so happy that all our hard work this season resulted in us being state runner up, which has never happened before. I am so proud of the work I have put in over the past four years and how it led me to accomplishing my goal of placing top five at state. Yet at the same time, I can't ignore the twinge of sadness. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to run on this team and create lifelong friendship, and while I'm filled with so much joy at our accomplishment today, I will be so sad to leave it behind.
Complete results from the TAPPS State Cross Country meet can be found at http://results2.deltatiming.com/2020-tapps-xc-championships/#event20.