Cross country season sprints across finish line

Posted 10/28/09 (Wed)

By Adam Thomas

For most of the year, cross-country runners have been performing their sport in some very mild weather conditions. The end of their season, however, has been throwing them a few loops and it was the state meet that produced some of the biggest obstacles of the year. "It poured all day!" said Washburn-Wilton Coach Shayla Sinclair. "The rain and mud made it one of the most slippery and challenging races this year, but despite some slips our athletes luckily didn’t have any major spills." Luckily for all runners involved, the location in Valley City included only a few short hills on an otherwise flat course so dealing with wet conditions was made a little more bearable. But there wasn’t anything to prevent the athletes from crossing the finish line soaked and dirty due to the conditions on the path. Washburn-Wilton’s standout senior Tiffany Jaeger ran in her final high school cross country meet, coming in at 23rd place when she crossed the finish line. She started off fast but conserved enough energy to make a final push in the last quarter of the race, moving from 30th to 23rd in that stretch.