After three straight years of qualifying for the state cross country championship meet, the Harlan girls team is used to making the annual trip to central Kentucky.
Now, they’re ready to start climbing the Class A ladder and improving their results once they get there.
“Qualifying to compete at the state meet is such an amazing opportunity for our runners,” Harlan coach Anne Lindsey said. “One of our team goals this season was to expose our runners to a variety of competition, and we hope those experiences have helped them to prepare for the types of competitors they will race at the state meet.
“Our goal is always to advance to the state meet and for each runner competing we hope for them to rise to a level of competition that displays the hard work training they have put in all season.”
Eighth-grader Harper Carmical is expected to play a vital role in Saturday’s race.
“Harper Carmical is one of our youngest runners but is also one of our fastest girls,” Lindsey said. “She battled a little this season with some nagging injuries and illness, but is fresh and ready to compete at the state level. Harper is built to run and her seamless strides are so fun to watch. We know that as she matures in the sport she will continue to inspire and impress those younger runners coming up behind her.”
Senior Chloe Schwenke is expected to be a key contributor in Saturday’s race.
“Chloe Schwenke is our senior girl. She has shown incredible leadership this season. Chloe is more than a great runner she is an incredible individual with a bright future ahead of her,” Lindsey said. “As coaches we will always be her biggest fans! I expect Chloe to have one her best races of the season at the State Meet. She loves to compete and always pushes herself to a new level with each race.”
Junior Abbigaile Jones is anticipated to have a strong finish.
“Abbie Jones has been running with Chloe for the last three years. She will step up as the leader of our girls team next season. Abbie has had an incredible season,” Lindsey said. “She has set several new personal records and achieved many of her personal running goals. As she has in the last two races, we expect Abbie to continue to push down her time on Saturday. She is ready to race!”
Ella Farley is expected to have a strong showing.
“Ella Farley is new to the sport of cross country this year, but she too has found a new talent,” Lindsey said. “She has quickly made progress toward her personal running goals and I know that next season we will see even more progress from her.”
Ella Lisenbee is anticipated to have a strong finish.
“Ella Lisenbee is back with our team after taking a year off. Ella is dedicated and hard working. She has continued to improve this season,” Lindsey said. “I think the state meet is going to be a great race for her, because she is a competitor and will rise to the challenges before her.”
Gwendolyn Toll is also expected to finish strong on Saturday.
“Gwen Toll is also new to the sport of cross country this season. She, too, has put in a lot of hard work and dedication this season and she is beginning to see the fruit of that work in her race times,” Lindsey said. “We are excited to see how she will continue to rise to the challenges set before her.”
Julianna Damaa is anticipated to finish well.
“Julianna Damaa, like Harper, is one of our youngest runners. Julianna has consistently improved this season. One of her personal strengths is listening to her body and knowing when to push and when to back off,” Lindsey said. “She has had several personal records this season as well, and we are excited to see how she competes at the state level.”
Harlan will be represented in the boys race by one runner, junior Noah Sharpe.
“Noah Sharpe has found his niche with running. He is new to the sport of cross country but has consistently improved over the course of the season,” Lindsey said. “We are excited to see how he competes at state. As a rising senior, Noah will step into the role of team leader for our boys next season. His experiences running at state are going to help him inspire and motivate his teammates.”
The Dragons will race in Lexington on Saturday.