Three seasons ago at the 2021 State Championship in April, the Jamestown girls placed 5th at Oatlands Historic Cross-Country Course in April. I thought to myself we did very well, and we have a relatively young squad of girls on the team this year. Caroline Bauer was in the midst of having her first break-out season and she set the bar high for Jamestown Girls becoming the fastest girl in the 5000m ever on the peninsula. The following November, the girls placed 5th again, and we still had a young squad. Kylie Brooks joined the team as a novice runner as a 10th grader. That year she placed 2nd on our team at the state meet. I began to think to myself we are starting to have the right elements to make a run at for 4A state meet.
Kylie had a breakthrough year in 10th grade. She got faster in almost every single race she ran, both in cross country and track. She began to lead by quiet example. She was relaxed about running but she began to love it. I asked her at the end of her 10th grade year if she liked running and she said, “NO! I LOVE IT!” That was when I knew I had a girl who was ready to move up to the next level.
Kylie had a tough 11th grade year. She ran 18:14 in Cross Country but had a minor injury and then she had a stress reaction at the end of junior year in which we had to take 4 months off of running. Kylie was resilient. She did more strength training, listened more to her body, and never surrendered her determination to be one of the best runners in the state. Kylie is a true friend to all the girls on the team. She has the ability to quiet herself, and prepare for races, and perform at a high level with excellent consistency. She ran a blazing 17:38 this year at Milestat breaking 18 minutes 4 times. She has one more XC race at Running Lane next month! Her 1 point at the state meet was the first piece we needed to win a state championship!
Claire Bauer tried running her 8th grade year as a year-round swimmer who was starting to run for the fun of it. I knew Claire was super competitive, and she was a wonderful upstart in her freshman year. She was tough, eager, and determined to prove herself, running 19:42 on our home course. She was courageous and would always give her best, but we faced several challenges in her 10th-grade and 11th-grade year without many PRs until the end of track her 11th-grade year. Claire was determined to have a breakthrough senior year and she sure did. Claire was my hand-down leader, the girl who I knew would give her all. I have said this before, “She was the glue that kept the team together.” Claire demonstrated the most powerful trait in athletics: the willpower to make your dreams come true! Way to go young lady!
Raini Mayo showed up at the beginning of junior year transfer from Hawaii. Her first email was something like, “Hey Coach my name is Raini I ran in Hawaii and ran something like 21:00 minutes or so in Hawaii. I am friends with Kathyrn Miller.” We did not talk after that until the first practice and on 2nd week of practice, she came up to me and was confident and direct. She said, “Coach how can I get better?” I probably said something like, “That is a long conversation” (usually 100+ little conversations a coach has over the seasons and year with a runner wanting to get better).
Raini was a serious competitor always wanting to do better and always wanting the team to do great. She ran 19:31 in her junior year. She did well in track but did not have a breakthrough and we struggled with some minor injuries. Raini had a banner year running 18:51 at Milestat. Raini is confident and straightforward, she makes me and her teammates laugh, and shared with me one of the perfect moments of innocence and joy when she ran and hugged me after the state championship running off the podium! This is what high school sports is all about. Raini exemplified that with her ability to perform at the highest levels and in the pure joy she expressed in winning the championship!
Emily Dahl showed up to the running club in a tennis skirt and tank top in the middle of July. She had a bit of difficulty the first week but after two weeks I saw the attribute that is what is one of Emily’s best qualities. When asked to perform she is completely focused. She is such a happy young lady. She is smart, eager, inquisitive, and quietly competitive. She has the ability to go to the wall and perform with no complaint. She went from running 20:31 to 19:01 from 9th grade year to 10th grade year and she improved in almost every race. She has been a delight to coach and is a wonderful addition to the team.
Hailey Shearer – wow what a race from this young lady at the state meet. She put everything on the line and she pulled off the effort we needed to win the state meet. Hailey had a great freshman season but struggled with several minor injuries during sophomore year. She knew that she was likely the missing piece we needed at the beginning of the season. When I saw her run at the Region meet, I had the first inclination that we could actually win – All the pieces fell together on that day, and we almost had a perfect score!
At the state meet at the 2.25 mile mark in the race when Hailey hit the big hill I took off my hat and yelled my heart out! “You gotta go Hailey! We can win this!” Hailey glanced at me and took off up the hill! She passed another 4 or 5 girls in the last half mile and there was nothing left at the end of the race, but we know that she had probably pulled off the first win for the Jamestown Girls Cross Country team!
Nettie Haines was our number six this year and she had a wonderful season. A transfer from James River, she rounded out our top group with solid performances all year. She is part of the future of Jamestown Cross Country. A quiet, smart, young lady! She has been a great addition to our team.
Annabelle Harris joined our team as a 12th grader. I noticed her running a few times and she looked like a runner, so I asked Emily to talk to her. She had some great early season but had a stress reaction in the middle of the season. We had to rest her through 4 races and cross train but she was willing to take on the pain of likely another stress reaction in the final race of the season. Her willingness to accept the pain for the team and run under duress is one of the key characteristics of this girl’s team and part of the Jamestown culture of determination.
Elly Younica is a great upstart was our number 1 freshman coming into the Jamestown program this year running her fastest time of 22:37 at the Region 4A course. She is a great addition to our team. Her paper plate award was “Boss Baby” because she is young and a tough young lady. She is part of the future of the next generation of Jamestown runners.
Abigail Wester rounds out the final member of our state team. She improved greatly in her final race running 22:55 and breaking 23 for the first time. Abigail shows great commitment to the team, is a great team and we are looking forward to the leadership she can provide next year.
The JAMESTOWN GIRLS made history this year. They show why America is great! These runners came from different athletic backgrounds. They all struggled with some type of injuries in the past few years but decided at the beginning of the season that they were going to be the team that did what no other Jamestown girls’ team has done and go after the state championship crown.
The girls were all supported by a wonderful network of moms and dads who love them dearly. They were all supportive in all their endeavors and a champion for their cause!
Coach Anderson and I talked about 10 times about the chances of winning the state meet. I woke up several nights before the state meet worrying about injury or sickness. A few days before, I began to have peace about the race and on the morning of the race I got on my knees and prayed to God that it would come to fruition for these girls.
In my twenty years of high school coaching, I have been to the mountain twice with two state runner-up teams in track and field, numerous district and region championships, and several individual state champions but have never won a state championship until yesterday.
I am in debt to my faith, my wife, my five children, my parents, my twin brother, several coaches, and friends who I have leaned on over the years. They have all helped give me the time, resilience, and presence of mind to never give up.
That is what these girls did on race day. They knew they were running for each other; they each had a plan and they executed it to perfection. I am honored and humbled to coach them. They are the best team ever from the Peninsula area.
My favorite part of this cross-country season was the pure joy and innocence they shared with their parents, friends, and coaches at the awards ceremony was remarkably refreshing! This is what cross country is about. The hugs, smiles, and joy they shared with all and me and Coach Anderson will never be forgotten.
In closing – Joe Newton the famous York coach once said something like this: “I could have been successful in a number of different professions but there is nothing like the thrill of a Championship!
JAMESTOWN CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS – 4A 2023-2024 STATE CHAMPIONS
Top 7 in finishing order
Kylie Brooks
Raini Mayo
Emily Dahl
Claire Bauer
Nettie Haines
Annabell Harris
Alternates: Elly Younica, Abigail Wester
The Spikesburg Story 