State

We did what we set forth to do. Three days ago it was 60+ degrees and of course for state it dropped to below 40. The weathermen claimed mid 40's and little wind on race day but they could have fooled me. We arrived in Jeff City at about 2 and headed to check out the course at 3:30. The night took us to Arris Pizza restaurant and then some inspiring words from the legendary Coach Cutelli. Natalie had set forth some split goals and I told her to break 19:30. She met her split goals and broke 19:30. I was very proud. She ended up 12th overall and she looked real sharp in her new uniform. The field was defintely faster this year and her patience in the race paid off in the end. Natalie was an all state runner all 4 years which is truly a feat. I tease her by asking if she really wants to graduate because I will really miss her next year.
Our newbie Laura Michel finished 88th with a time of 21:07. I think the cold affected her more than our senior veteran. Overall it was a good experience for her and the team should be proud that one of our younger members made it this far. I hope that next year Laura can rise to the occasion and carry a team with her to state.

Coach Cutelli