The cross country team truly went the extra mile this season; make that an extra 3.1 miles. Sophomore Madeline Stewart and freshman Jessica Bodmer represented St. Dominic at the cross country state competition last weekend. The girls both finished with their best times of the season.

Stewart and Bodmer put in a lot of hard work with the help of other teammates and their coaches, Mr. Andy Mills and Mr. Phil Yates. Little did they know, the countless hours of running would get them a ticket to state. New to the cross country program, Bodmer never imagined she would be so successful. Bodmer is using this year’s competition as motivation for her next three years.

“I want to try to make it to state again at least once. I also want to try to medal a little bit more because I only medaled once this year. Now that I know I can run that fast I want to keep going and get faster,” said Bodmer.

The cross country team trained hard for the fall season. They ran miles after school and endured hard workouts in order to outrun the competition. The season was full of obstacles on and off the course, especially for Stewart who suffered from tendinitis.

“When I got back from the injury, Maddy Mueller really helped me prepare for state. We pushed each other during the practices for two weeks and she really helped me see myself crossing the finish line at state,” said Stewart.

Stewart made a comeback from her injury and was able to achieve her dream of crossing the finish line at state. Going to state has only given the girls more motivation for next year. Bodmer and Stewart are both training for a half marathon together.

The cross country team has a promising future with both of the state qualifiers being so young. We wish the cross country runners good luck as they already begin to prepare for next season and we congratulate them on their accomplishments.