West Holmes girls XC gets in final run at Nike Invite
The West Holmes girls cross country team capped off another record-setting effort with a fourth straight state meet appearance and a school-best 10th place finish at state by attending the Nike Regionals in Terre Haute, Indiana on Sunday, Nov. 17. Oddly enough, the team ran 10th again out of 46 very competitive teams.
Just because the cross country season ended at the state meet for the West Holmes girls doesn’t mean the running fun had to stop, and it didn’t as the girls traveled west one state to compete in a postseason event.
The West Holmes girls cross country team, who fashioned the program’s fourth consecutive state tournament meet appearance recently, participated in the Nike Regionals in Terre Haute, Indiana on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Because the event was not a school meet but rather a club meet, the girls competed under the name West Holmes Distance Project, but the core group that went to state was intact and ready to run.
“We really had a good time, and there was a strong field,” West Holmes head coach Kevin Beachy said. “Because it wasn’t an official school function, we had a couple of parents help us carpool the girls and some family members out, and we had a real blast. We try to create fun events like this for our kids, and it was a nice reward after another fantastic season.”
The team placed 10th out of 64 teams in the Open Division. Iriel Mena led the way with a 35th-place finish, followed by Lexi Starner, Zora Starner, Katherine Kaster, Noelle Smith, Alexis Wagers and Serenity McClintock.
Beachy said the race is a regional qualifier for the Nike Nationals, and the team had to apply to get into the championship race. While the WHDP wasn’t selected to participate in the championship race, they were entered into one of a couple of adjacent races that featured plenty of strong competition.
“We had several high school championship teams competing, so the challenge was tough,” Beachy said. “I was very pleased with how well the girls ran.”
The competition was held at Indiana State University, home of NBA legend Larry Bird. Beachy said Bird and several other alumni donated funds to purchase a large tract of land on which the cross country course was built.
“It used to be an old landfill, and they donated specifically for the purpose of making it solely a cross country course, which is pretty cool,” Beachy said.
As the program continues to experience plenty of success, with the school-record four straight state team appearances, Beachy said these types of trips continue to be a way to grow the excitement around the program, and the trip proved to be one that not only allowed for gaining experience, but also a time of bonding for the teammates and the families.