By Maggie Rechkemmer–
Running across the finish line no matter what race is always an amazing feeling, but an even better feeling is knowing you’ve made it to the top. Mount Vernon-Lisbon Cross Country runners experienced this on Oct. 24 in Solon at the District meet when both teams found out they qualified for the state meet, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Fort Dodge. The team is stacked with talented underclassmen who had the drive to succeed.

“We got this far only by hard work, good coaching, and the support from the rest of the team,” said freshman Jack Young, one of several freshmen traveling to Fort Dodge.

Even though running demands individual endurance, bonding is a very critical part of success. Sometimes it’s just as simple as a bus ride, eating out, or doing fun things as a team. “Just talking and goofing around really makes you feel close as a team,” said freshman Faith Anton.

Some runners even have rituals such as having their hair a particular way, lucky socks, or even eating certain food the night before a race. Members of the MVLXC team also say their coaches are a very important part of their success. All of the runners know they can count on coach Sue Deibner for being a ball of energy, and having a positive attitude every meet no matter what. Another honor for the team is that Coach Diebner was awarded WaMaC Coach of the Year.

The girls placed 2nd in the District meet in Solon and boys came in 3rd. The top three runners for the girls were junior Kendra Schmidt from Lisbon placing 9th, freshman Hayley Corkin in 11th, and freshman Faith Anton in 12th. The top three runners for the boys team were sophomore Reid Smock of Lisbon placing 16th, junior Benjamin Gilbert in 17th, and freshman Jack Young in 18th.