Fairfield HS Female Athletes Fourth in State Cross Country

The crack of the gun echoes across the starting line, and a mass of runners sprint forward, eyes squinted with determination, arms and legs outstretched in order to beat their opponents. All of the grueling practices, the early mornings, and the countless Saturdays have been preparation for this moment. The team has advanced to State for six consecutive years, all under the guidance and efforts of Coach Katie Wade, and is the only school sport to have done so.
The Varsity girls’ cross country team achieved a fourth place victory in State on Saturday, November 12, tying for Fairfield High School’s highest placement ever. The team has advanced to State for six consecutive years and is the only school sport to have done so. 
“I am incredibly proud of my team,” sophomore Morgan Coleman said. “We worked so hard this season and accomplished so much, and it really reflected in our State performance. Although we were hoping for a higher placement, it is still a great feeling knowing that our hard work truly paid off.” 
Sophomore Madison Smith crossed the finish line first for Fairfield, earning a ninth place medal and achieving a time of 11:53. Also with a time of 11:53 was Coleman, who earned a tenth place medal and attained her best time of the season. The two pushed each other by remaining close throughout the race, which was shown in their almost identical times. Both runners were interviewed by Mile Split, a website dedicated to high school cross country and track and field across the nation. 
“The season overall was amazing,” Smith said. “Both my team and I worked our absolute hardest to achieve our goals, and I think the State meet summed up both who Fairfield is as a team and who I am as a runner.” 
Achieving 51st place was junior Matilda Ohvo, who fought her way through a rather large pack of runners to attain a time of 12:31. Ohvo is a Finnish exchange student who participated in cross country for the first time this season. She quickly became one of the team’s key runners, usually improving drastically each meet, and ended the season as the team’s third finisher. 
“This season has been a unique and unforgettable experience for me, and I am grateful to have spent this time with such great teammates,” Ohvo said. “I will definitely remember this season forever, especially getting to compete in the State meet.” 
Still achieving in the top 100 was sophomore Ashlyn Partain, who finished fourth in the Fairfield team. Not far behind were junior Alexis Rodriguez, freshman Braden Bossier, and junior Victoria Donohoo. Each runner placed within the top 120 of the race’s 151 runners, and were all instrumental in attaining the fourth place finish out of sixteen complete teams. 
“My teammates helped to push me every day, not only physically but also mentally,” Rodriguez said. “That kind of commitment and effort as a team really made the difference as we competed in every meet.” 
Earlier this season, the team placed first at the Regional meet in Huntsville, and dominated District in Fairfield. The team placed first overall in nearly every meet, excepting the State Preview, in which they lost to the state champions, Bandera. 
“We have all progressively improved throughout the season because of our discipline and work ethic,” Partain said. “Although the practices are tough to get through, we all use each other to push ourselves through hard times and ultimately succeed.” 
The season was not only unforgettable in the team’s accomplishments, but in the unusual injuries many of the team members were forced to deal with. Throughout the season, Coleman was recovering from a hamstring injury. There was some confusion as to who would compete at District and Regionals, as sophomore Michelle Rosales suffered from a contusion on her shin, Donohoo broke her toe shortly after, junior Britain Bossier hurt her ankle, and freshman Braden Bossier struggled with weak ankles. To make matters worse, Braden Bossier suffered from dizziness shortly before the State meet after hitting her head, and nearly all runners dealt with overuse of muscles. However, the tragedy cleared up, and the team was successful in every meet despite their injuries. 
“It was a bit of a tough downfall when many of my teammates and I got injured towards the end of the season,” Rosales said. “Although I wasn’t able to fully recover in time, it was still a great season, and we had major improvements as we pushed through Regionals and performed well at State.” 
The team will be without senior and captain Kara Doyle next year, whom they have bonded with through their daily morning practices and meets. Doyle is attending SFA next year, and is planning on majoring in wildlife management. 
“These past four years have been incredible with my teammates, and this season has been absolutely unforgettable,” Doyle said. “Every one of them is like my family, and the next segment of my life will be strange without having them there with me every step of the way.”