As the day of the championship drew closer, the workouts were cut down to avoid exhaustion so the runners could arrive at their very best and give it their all that day.
The boys cross country championship occurred on October 31 at Shawan Downs, a countryside venue where all 25 teams across all three conferences participated in the championship. The entire time, John Carroll runners had their eyes set on bringing home the gold, and the team ended up winning the championship.
Coach Michael Monaghan said, “Winning a championship is always the pinnacle of any sporting season. Anything can happen at a championship race. We never underestimate our competition as all teams are pumped up for the final race. Being undefeated as we were, going into the championship race is a blessing and a curse. The competition is a bit intimidated, but then again, they are looking to avenge their defeat and take you down. Our guys were not taking anything for granted and raced well. We were up to the challenge and won by a comfortable margin.”
Junior Evan DeVoe said, “I am confident about our odds of winning championships next year, too. We have a lot of talent among our younger runners, and if they can fill the gaps that the seniors will leave, we should have another great team next year.”
Mr. Monaghan said he would change “nothing really. My guys are hardworking, humble, and aware of what is expected of them. They are not perfect, so when they slip up in a workout or a race for the most part, they know what happened and why. I’m happy with their season. I think we will continue with the same game plan next year: work hard; have fun, and don’t take anything for granted.”
Next year, the cross country team hopes to have another strong season and possibly take home another championship.