ST. LOUIS – Elise Marker was excited about winning the Class 3 District 2 meet, but she was more anxious about the team’s chances of advancing in the long minutes following Saturday’s race at Parkway Central.
When word finally arrived that Villa Duchesne had secured second place (92 points) and advanced to state, the Saints’ tent erupted in cheers and hugs. And Marker, a junior, even shed a few tears of joy.
The seemingly endless wait for the final results was filled with more apprehension than normally accompanies contending teams after Villa’s No. 2 runner, Hannah Deines, was forced to drop out mid-race.
“We were running together, and (MICDS sophomore) Geneva (Lee) was in front of me,” Marker said. “I told her ‘C’mon’ as I passed (Lee), and then I heard her screaming a little bit later. I just told myself it was a fan, and I just kept my head straight and moved on. I told myself it wasn’t Hannah and that it was some fans cheering and I was just going to focus on my race.
“We are ecstatic that our second girl dropped out and we were still able to come through.”
Marker said Deines appears to be fine and should be able to run next week at the state meet in Jefferson City.
Marker took over the lead by charging uphill shortly after the 2-mile mark, and she kept striding all the way to the finish.
Now Marker turns her attention to the state meet, where she finished 32nd last year despite running with an injury. Now that she’s healthy, she’s got an even better finish in mind.
“I want to be all-state this year,” Marker said. “Last year I was running on stress fractures. To be healthy coming to state is a blessing from God. I’m so excited.”
Class 3 District 2 Girls Photos
