The boys cross country team ended their fall season with a bang, sending two individuals to the D2 state competition on November 1 at Grand Rapids. Earlier in the season, the boys team was runner-up at the Badger Small conference and placed third at sectionals. At the state meet, Elijah Judd took home third overall and Ethan Zywicki placed 52nd to round out a successful season.
Patrick Schneider is the boys cross country coach and has worked since the summer to create a workout regimen to advance the team.
“For most people, they start running over the course of the summer. And when we start the season, we generally tend to do a mix of shorter runs, longer runs, basically training for anything that can happen while running,” Schneider said.
Although the official start to the season was on August 18, training for the boys began in early June, months prior. During the summer, the team laid the groundwork for the fall with weekly long runs, speed workouts, and increased mileage.
Elijah Judd is a senior and captained the team this year. Judd has been on the team for the past four years and will round out his high school career holding the 5K record at Stoughton High School and qualifying for the state meet for three consecutive years.
“For me, training started in early June, a week after track ended. I think the training that really helped make this year a success was increasing volume and adding on more mileage,” Judd said.
With eight graduating seniors on the boys team this season, the program will be looking forward to a future of rebuilding.
“[Our senior boys] will be missed. We do have guys who have stepped up to take their place; however, out of our top five runners on Varsity, three of them are graduating this year, so next year will be more focused on rebuilding [the team],” Schneider said.
Many of the goals held by the boys team were achieved throughout the months of competition through hard work and mental toughness.
Ethan Zywicki has been running cross country for the past three years and has held the second Varsity spot throughout his time with the team.
“My original goal for the season was to run a sub-16-minute 5K, and I did that at sectionals,” Zywicki said.
As senior runners look towards their future in the sport outside of high school, these athletes must decide whether to continue competing at the collegiate level or foster their passion for the sport in an alternative way.
“As for the future, I am unsure about where I want to go and I also have to decide if I want to run competitively. Right now my number one option is UW-Madison and to continue to run recreationally,” Judd said.
Despite the loss of this large graduating class next season, the team continues to plan for a fall of reworking and coaching to bring athletes to their highest potential in the years to come.
