One year ago, Samuel Grice ran his first Cross Country race. It was at the 2018 version of the Ultimook Race, placing 14th out of 151 runners. Upon experiencing his first taste of success, he started eying the MS record books, hoping to crack the top 10 list for our team. 1 month later, he claimed the #9 slot. After more success in track, something happened; he elevated his level of dedication - big time! This included occasionally getting up at 7:00 for morning runs and summer competition in Junior Olympics, qualifying for Nationals. This year at Ultimook, he was "UNTOUCHABLE," winning by nearly 20 seconds. His time of 11:13 was three seconds off of last year's P.R. (It's nearly impossible to P.R. at Ultimook). His dedication for the sport has taken him to a whole new level!
This is just the opposite of what signs say on SR-14. You might think that you might have to go to Europe to find signs like that. However, one should be posted about 100 miles from here, just prior to entering the Mud Pit on the Ultimook XC course! This strategy paid off for Savea Mansfield as she "stayed left" through most of the mud pit, yet "moved out to the right lane" to pass when needed. Capitalizing on her exceptional athleticism, she executed the high knee drills in the passing lane to overtake a hand-full of runners in the process. Savea ended up in 14th place of the 158 girls in the varsity race. With nearly half of the girls ahead of her being seniors, we will expect her to make the podium (top ten) in her remaining two years in a Panther XC uniform (or Team T-shirt for this race).