Article by Kendyl Cardwell
Five years ago, I stood with my teammates in the crowd at the awards ceremony for the Class 2A cross country championships. As we watched the top two teams receive their award, we promised each other that we would be standing up there the next year. We waited through two years of third-place finishes and another long, injury-filled season, but the Montverde Girls’ XC Team finally achieved our goal from all the way back in 2016.
The state championships for this year took place in Tallahassee, on November 15. Strong performances across the board brought the team to a second-place finish, behind only The Bolles School of Jacksonville. Junior Lily Henne led the team with an impressive result. She ran a 19:11 to finish 5th place and make the all-state team. Kendyl Cardwell, Jayci Brauman, Karah White, Brianna Heirs, Natalie Nesmith, and Zarrah Barabaza rounded out the team’s finishes.
Head Coach Lori Treweek reflected on the strength and unity in the team’s accomplishment: “The girls didn’t allow progress to stop because of the challenges we’ve faced over the last year with injuries, Covid, etc. They continued to build strength and focus through that adversity. Cross country really is a team sport – one position no more valuable than the other. Every athlete made their best effort throughout the season and in the race, and I am very proud of them for that.”
The team agrees that the setbacks have made this moment much more special. We have had a few agonizingly close shots. After placing only one spot off the podium for two years in a row, last year appeared to be our strongest group yet. However, injuries plagued half the team. “After having a very rough year, we were more motivated than ever this season to prove that we could compete with the best in the state.”
Four out of the seven girls who raced that first state championship meet stepped up to the same line 5 years later. It is unique to have a team that has stayed together for so long, which has made this experience especially meaningful. A member of the team for 4 years, Brianna Heirs says “Ever since my first step on the track freshman year, I knew this small group of girls would become my family. Through laughs, tears, good races, and bad ones, the support we have for each other is unmatchable. Being able to finally stand on the podium knowing all of the years of dedication that we have put in together made it an experience I will always cherish.”
This is my sixth year on the Montverde cross country team. When I first started in 7th grade, we didn’t even have enough runners to fill a team. I am so proud of each and every single runner for taking us from that small, inexperienced group to state runner ups. It means the world to me that I got to end my senior year on the podium next to my best friends and the hardest working group of girls I know.
Photos taken by Cedric Gillette
