With a focus on competeing hard and leaving everything on the course, the Milford cross country teams had a good day at state Oct. 23.
“The kids went into it with the attitude that they weren’t going to stress about times and places,” Coach Jake Kment said.
They brought home a seventh-place medal and were sixth and 13th in the team standings.
Macie Carter earned her second state medal, placing seventh in 19:53.8.
“She was closing on the second pack during the third mile and really just ran out of time, finishing just seven seconds out of second place,” Kment said.
Easton Sample was the top finisher for the Milford boys, placing 43rd.
Everyone had solid days in the Class C competition, he said.
Seniors Elsa Schweitzer, Sylus Rakow and Jonny Kohout finished their careers as four-time state qualifiers. Kment said the highlight for him was thinking about the leaders they’ve become.
“It was the least stressed I’ve ever been at a state meet, mainly because I just felt that Elsa and Jonny in particular had things under control,” he said.
The two are people everyone looks to in stressful situations, he said.
“I’m a big believer that when it comes to running and performing under pressure, positive outward words lead to a positive inner dialogue, and a positive inner dialogue generally leads to positive performance,” Kment said. “Both Elsa and Jonny took on leadership roles when they were underclassmen and were very coachable in terms of how to lead. On Friday, their growth as leaders was very evident not just in how they were approaching the race, but in how the rest of the runners were approaching it as well.
“They set an excellent example for their teammates on what it means to be a leader, and I feel great about the future because they have passed some of their leadership qualities onto their teammates. I’m excited to see who steps up next year.”
