On Saturday, November 2nd Royal Valley’s top three runners competed at state cross country. With rough conditions and muddy terrain, the three pushed through and competed well with Senior Dominick Schnider receiving a medal in 10th place with a time of 16:28.60. Sophomore Josie Shelton received a medal in 19th place with a time of 20:28.87. Junior Addilyn Lefferd placed 48th with a time of 21:49.50.
Dominick Schnider said, “It felt like the icing on the cake for me as a senior to end my final season with a massive PR and a top 10 medal.” He also said that during the race, “It hurt a lot, that's for sure. I came through mile one at 5:17 feeling smooth, then mile two at 5:11 feeling terrible and there wasn't a crowd screaming at everyone and bringing that intense energy I was looking for. I came through the 2-mile mark at almost my PR. Finally that last mile I found that extra motivation to push my body a little bit harder. Although I was already in 12th I wanted more and my goal for Rim Rock was to break 16:30 so I pushed more and more until I found my breaking point. From there I just held on for dear life.”
In addition he said that he “expected some sickness or injury to attack me during my season, but I wanted to be consistent this season. Only two races I didn't place in the top 3, that was at Rim Rock Invitational and state where I placed 29th and 10th. I'm more than glad with my season and more of my consistency I've shown. “
When asked about advice for aspiring athletes who want to make it to state he said “My advice for someone who is going to compete at state is, if you qualify you deserve to be there. Just because a ranking says this or that, it doesn't mean much when it comes time to compete. There's been many people who have made individual upsets and team Cinderella stories just because they showed up to compete or that they didn't give up. My first year at state in the mile I was ranked 11th and I got 4th, I made my own upset because I never gave up and I set my eyes to a goal that I was going to achieve.”
Josie Shelton who earned her first medal at state cross country said it felt “good, but now I have to do cross country for two more years.” She also said, “ While I was running, I was dying. There were several times I thought about if I fell in the mud, I wasn't going to get back up. I had to keep reminding myself of what Coach Smith told us about being mentally tough.” In addition, she added that the best advice she has for anyone wanting to compete at state is “ Don’t overthink. It is just another race.” When asked if this is how she expected the season to go, she said that “No it wasn't. At the beginning of the season, my goal for the entire year was to run a 5k in 23 minutes.”
Photo credits to Tyjha Henderson