By A’ser Mostafa

When the High School Cross Country season comes to a close, it is time to see how that hard work pays off. This year’s Tempe Prep team was fortunate to see three runners who raced at sectionals qualify for state.

The first of these runners is senior Jacob Steineke who finished in the top 25 – placing in at 24th. The thought that this might be his last race pushed Steineke to keep running, “Many things pushed me to keep running, but my coaches constantly telling me my place and cheering me on mainly kept me going. Also, the fact that this was possibly my last race kept me focused on the running.”

Steineke added that he did not let the pressure of state and sectionals affect his performance. “We prepared for these meets using the same stretching and warmup routine we always use, and didn’t let the pressure affect our racing.” When asked, Steineke says “I never expected to make state at all” and would like to thank his “parents and siblings for always being there to support me, my great fellow team captains, Coach Kiser, and Coach Doc.”

Another runner who qualified for state is senior Trevor Kerber who finished just barely out of the Top 14, finishing in 15th place. Kerber ran at sectionals with passion. “I ran the sectionals race like it was my last race ever. I didn’t want to finish knowing that I hadn’t run the best time and finished in the highest position possible. I kept running hard because I knew that I would never have the opportunity to do so again.”

When asked how it felt to make it to state, Kerber says, “It felt relieving to know that I had just earned one more race in my high school cross country career.” He also noted on the organization and atmosphere at the state and sectional races, “The state and sectionals races are more energetic than any other races. The large amount of runners and the higher stakes at these races creates a positive but competitive racing environment.”

Kerber also kept himself and his teammates in good spirits during the pressure of the races. “If there was any pressure at the races, I kept myself and the team lighthearted by joking throughout stretches and warmups and projected an excited attitude. Doc always says to ‘Have fun!’ so I always kept that in mind.”

Another runner who was in a particularly unique situation, being the only female runner to qualify from Tempe Prep, Isabella DiCaro finished 23rd at sectionals to finish in the Top 25 who would go to state. She comments on how her discipline got her to state. “I have a long-standing agreement with myself not to walk in a meet, and I have yet to break that agreement.”

When asked how it felt to see the hard work pay off going into state, she had this to say: “It felt right. This was my last season of cross country and it felt like all my hard work over the years had paid off. Not going to lie though, my first thought was that I was going to have to run another week’s worth of practices, but they were practices for state so I can’t really complain.”

She was also very impressed with the vast community of runners she saw at the sectionals and state meets that she hadn’t seen at any other meet. “It’s nice to be reminded that there is this huge community of runners out there who all share your same passion for the sport. After all those hours in the heat, it feels good to know you’re not alone in your insanity.”

Congratulations to these three exceptional runners on making it to state. And good luck to all the cross country runners next season. Go Knights!