The cold was biting everyone’s fingers and toes as they began to warm up and approach the starting line. The runners’ hearts began to race as they anticipated the gunshot indicating the start of the race, but this year there is something new on the course.
For the 7A State Championship race this year, both the girls and boys cross-country team attended for the first time. Previously, Davie sent their boys’ team in 1995 and 1997, and their girls’ team in 2009 and 2010. Since then, a few individuals have attended the state meet; however, Davie had never sent both teams at once.
At the 7A West Regional meet, Davie saw incredible performances. For the boys, freshman Jaxon Gay led the boys with a time of 16:15, earning himself a large PR and 11th place. Following Gay, senior Ethan Lakey took 18th, with a time of 16:25, and junior Jacob Steelman followed, taking 21st, with a time of 16:29. Brayden Kistner also had a notable season best with a time of 17:30. For the girls, freshman Kristen Starkey led the pack as usual, with a PR of 18:56, taking 11th place. Freshman Addalyn Steelman and senior Lexi Marion followed, with times of 20:47 and 20:58. Davie runners saw many PR’s during this race, securing their spot at the State Championships.
Kicking off at 9:40 for the 7A State Championships, the boys’ team placed 12th overall. Junior Jacob Steelman led the boys with a time of 16:43. Following Steelman, freshman Jaxon Gay followed, taking a time of 16:58, and senior Ethan Lakey ran a time of 17:05. Senior Brayden Kistner took a new season best of 17:25, and freshman Avery Van Lente followed Kistner with a time of 18:00.
Following the boys, the girls kicked off at 11:00. The team overall placed 14th. Freshman Kristen Starkey took the lead once again, running a time of 19:17. Freshman Addalyn Steelman followed, with a time of 21:22, and sophomore Rachel Starkey took a time of 21:29. Senior Lexi Marion followed the two of them, taking a time of 21:54, and freshman Berkley Brown finished with a time of 23:39
With the conclusion of the regional meet, Davie runners were able to step into the state meet with low stakes and a goal of only giving it what they had and picking off the runners in front of them. Senior Brayden Kistner has run for the team all 4 years of high school and has been an essential asset to the team. Kistner plans to pursue club running in college. Kistner has had a difficult season, considering he’s been sick for the majority of races; however, he was still able to pull off a wonderful end to his season.
“Looking back on the whole season, I am very glad with how I finished it,” Kistner states. “After the first meet, I started to get sick, and it got worse over the course of the season, but it went away just in time for regionals and states, and I was able to lower my season’s best in both of those meets.”
Senior Logan Zuleger has also been a significant help to the team. Zuleger’s main sport is swimming; however, he’s been able to put in the effort and show out for his cross-country team. Running has been no unfamiliar territory for Zuleger, provided that he ran for William Ellis Middle School as well, and has brought fantastic results to Davie’s team. Bringing a positive attitude to the meet, Zuleger had a strong finish to his season.
“The race took a huge toll on me, but I was just happy to have finished,” Zuleger says.
Additionally, Senior Lexi Marion also finished her senior season strong. Marion has signed with Winthrop University and plans to continue her running career there. Marion is the only senior for the girls’ team, and many will miss her in the following years.
“I am happy that I committed to run at Winthrop next year, which makes my senior year a little less sad knowing that I am still continuing what I love in college.”
While she hasn’t had the strongest season, she has still put in loads of hard work and dedication to the sport and her team, ensuring that she can be a light in the team’s environment.
“For my team, I could not be more proud of how this whole season went. Everyone on the team worked so hard, which led us to several big wins like taking first place at Friday Night Lights, getting second place at the NPC Conference meet, and finishing 5th in the region.”
Coach Rob Raisbeck was especially thrilled with the team’s performance at both the regional and state meets. Neither Raisbeck nor coach Jeff Jones has sent either team to the state meet, and with both teams achieving this at once, this was a great accomplishment for both coaches.
“It was a great feeling,” Raisbeck states. “It’s something Jeff and I had been striving to accomplish for 10 years, and it finally happened. It was an emotional moment when we found out the girls had made it to join the guys.”
Raisbeck, before the race began, told both teams to pick off each runner in front of them. The stakes for both teams were low, especially considering there are no following races besides the optional postseason races of Nike Cross Regionals or Footlocker Cross Country Championships.
“The main focus has just been encouraging the team to enjoy the moment, and understand that they accomplished something that no other DHS team had ever achieved.”
This meet concludes the season for all Davie runners, with the exception of a few runners participating in post-season races. Next, Davie Cross Country will participate in indoor track, with the season beginning on November 3.
