This video was created by Garrett Akers, Cole Miller, Nolan Hinrichs, Caden Eskelson, Noah Guillaume and Alex Deeb as a part of the 2019 Video Documentaries J-Term at Mount Vernon High School.
Story by Alex Deeb
The State Champion Mount Vernon-Lisbon cross country teams were one of a kind… or maybe two. Over the course of those two years the runners of MVLXC only had one race where they didn’t finish first.
Taking a look back on these teams the unique ability of these teams can be appreciated. In 2015, the team won the WAMAC Conference meet by a sizable margin of 59 points and had the second best score in state history at the state meet winning by 31 points. The team was lead by standout runner Reid Smock (Lisbon ‘16) who finished third overall at the state meet.
In addition to Reid, the team had amazing depth which allowed them to finish in such historic fashion. After the race, junior runner Jack Young (‘17) said that when he finished, he turned around and saw his teammates finishing right behind him, and at that point he knew they had won it.
In 2016, the returning champions knew they would have to become a different team. Rather than having a standout runner and good finishes, the team would have to rely on pack running with all runners finishing high in positioning. Under new leadership, senior Jack Young (‘17) was able to lead the team to another WAMAC Conference title, winning by 36 points.
Head coach Kory Swart said of Jack Young’s leadership, “He’s the kind of guy you want to lead your program.” This strong leadership was able to carry the team to its third state title, the second in two years. The team was able to win the state meet by a narrow two points, and as senior Garrett Herring (Lisbon ‘17) said, “Any lack of effort down the stretch from anyone and we wouldn’t have won.”
The 2015 and 2016 Mount Vernon-Lisbon cross country seasons symbolize an era of dominance in high school sports, finishing first in all races but one over the two year stretch and winning state titles both years. The legacy these teams have left on the program will be unforgettable.
Swart said of the impact of the teams, “As these teams get further away, you really start to appreciate what they did for the program.” The legacy of these two teams will continue to impact the team today, and has set an example of dominance and greatness for cross country in general.
