Pequea Valley Girls' Team Debuts at State Championships

Members of the Pequea Valley (PV) high school girls' cross-country team recently made school history by competing for the first time as a team at the state championship meet.

The team, as well as district individual champion Reagan Gates, took part in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) cross-country championship held on Nov. 1 in Hershey. There were eight girls on the state team, including senior captains Aubrey Ressler and Olivia Zook, who is on crutches and missed competing in the meet; Abby Conover, junior; Mia Nordhoff, sophomore; and Reagan, Rachel Leaman, Annika Wanner and Belle Eby, all freshmen.

"The program has been in existence for six years. We have never gone as a team to states," explained head coach Keith Andrew. "We have some girls go individually, but we never made it as a whole team."

"For most of the girls, this was the first experience at a state meet except Aubrey Ressler, who is a senior," he added. "This is her fourth appearance at a state meet. She has competed as an individual for three years."

Reagan finished seventh at states, and the girls' team finished in sixth place. "I was extremely proud of all of their efforts at the state meet. We had six girls with no state-level cross-country experience, (plus) Aubrey, and they handled the pressure like an experienced program," said Andrew. "Our girls' team was also the youngest program in the AA girls' race - four freshmen, one sophomore, and one junior (who will) all return next year."

To qualify for states, the team took part in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Cross Country Championship held in South Hills Park, Lebanon, where it placed second, followed by the PIAA District Championship at Big Spring High School in Newville, where the team was crowned champion and Reagan won the individual race.

Unlike a track meet, cross-country involves running on natural surfaces like grass and sometimes on uneven terrain. At Pequea Valley Secondary School, the course goes around the practice fields by the old middle school.

Cross-country competitors also travel longer distances. This requires competitors to pace themselves over the course. "You have to figure it out," said Mia. "Some people on the team are really good at getting out super fast and pulling back a little. Other people go out a tiny bit slower but build up the speed gradually."

"Sometimes the mental part is really hard," added Rachel. "Sometimes it can be hard running on hills since it's not completely flat and powering through especially at the end."

The team members pointed out that they began preparing for the season the day that school ended in June. "We put in summer mileage; that definitely built us to be a top team because we have been doing so much work," Mia shared.

Abby added that she has been on another team, but the PV one is like no other. "This team prioritized being together as a team more than I have seen before," she said, noting that the girls took part in team-building activities prior to states, which included previewing the course and dinner. "(We did) a course walk. We ate pasta together. It's small things, but the small things build up. We all practice together."

Andrew said that the team has been a pleasure to coach, crediting Aubrey's leadership. "Aubrey could take this group of girls and do exactly what I had been doing because she knows the routine," he stated. "I give them their workouts, but what they put into their workout is what they get out of their workout. They have worked extremely hard, and I think they take tremendous pride in their accomplishments."

The girls' team was honored with a send-off parade on Oct. 31, which traveled throughout the Pequea Valley Secondary School. The parade was the first one held at the new school building. It was led by members of the high school marching band and included team members, Andrew and coach Bliss Strauss.

"This whole season has been building up to this," said Mia. "At the beginning of the season, we were ranked No. 1 in the district, but then we fell back and another team got ahead of us. That really boosted our motivation to do as good as we did at districts. It was really important for us to maintain a positive attitude because if we didn't have that, we wouldn't have done as good as we did."

For more information about the team and to view the send-off parade, visit http://www.facebook.com/PequeaValleyAthletics. Additional photos of the state meet can be found in this week's Pennysaver.