Saturday, October 29th, was a beautiful day for cross country! The Whippets headed to Wisconsin Rapids for the 2022 State Cross Country Meet, where Junior Nate Holden and Sophomore Jack Hefty competed against the best runners in the state. Overall, the D2 race was comprised of 146 competitors. A fast field and the support of their family, friends, and teammates had the Whippets out in flying fashion, as Hefty and Holden cruised through the first mile in 5:05 and 5:13, respectively.

The second mile of the course proved challenging, as expected, due to the hills, sharp turns, and elevation changes. Hefty held his Top-40 position through the 2-mile marker, reaching it in 10:52. Holden, in his first State XC appearance, arrived at that same mark in 11:35.

A similarly challenging third mile also contained its fair share of twists, turns, hills, and an all-out sprint to the finish line to complete the course. Hefty made up some ground in the final stretch, and was able to finish the race in a time of 17:06, while Holden crossed the finish line in 19:07. Hefty’s time was good for 30th place in the D2 field, while Holden finished 126th.

This race capped off an excellent season for both boys! This season was full of awards for Jack and Nate as they both earned first-team all-Rock Valley Conference honors earlier this season as well as state meet births from their sectional races. The boys not only get it done on race day, but they also get it done in the classroom. Jack and Nate also earned academic all-state honors as their GPA is well above the 3.5 threshold set by the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association to receive this honor. Congratulations, boys!

Full Results: https://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Results/Cross_Country/2022/d2bstateresults.pdf

Article and Photos Submitted by Chad Carstens
Whitewater High School Head Cross Country Coach
ccarstens@wwusd.org