ST. LOUIS – MICDS had a little extra motivation going into Saturday’s Class 3 District 2 cross country meet at Parkway Central.
The Rams were set on avenging their narrow defeat to Villa Duchesne in last year’s district meet where the Saints earned a 52-55 victory. This year the Rams turned the tables and captured the district crown with 47 points, while Villa held on for a runner-up finish with 92 points.
“For us to be able to get to the state meet and race another week is a big deal. The fact that we won is kind of just cherry on top, but I will say our girls have been excited about this race ever since last year we got beat by a couple of points,” MICDS coach Jim Lohr said. “Most of them were here last year and raced last year and remembered it. That was kind of a driver for them this year.”
Sophomore Geneva Lee led for an early portion of the race, but she couldn’t hold off Villa’s Elisa Marker over the last mile and finished in second place (20:10). She fell for a brief moment mid-race, but Lee said that was not a factor in her performance.
“It was just for a second,” Lee said. “Elise is really talented and just beat me because she’s good. I was up front until after the 2-mile mark, and then she just took off. She has an amazing kick.
“This is the fourth time that we’ve raced. We were trying to push each other I guess. Basically I wanted to make her feel uncomfortable, but she got me in the end.”
Lee has been improving all season and expects that trend to continue at the state meet next week. She was 49th as a freshman at the Class 3 meet last year.
MICDS teammate Klasey Medelberg was able to help push Lee after she fell, and Medelberg was third in 20:28. Medelberg said she made it a point to attack the hills to help her prepare for the Oak Hills course next week.
“I pushed through the darkest part of the race going uphill,” Medelberg said. “This race includes a lot of steep hills, and I think I did a good job fighting through my weakness going up hills.
“I’m going to run (state) like every year and push up.”
Lohr said he has no worries about Medelberg, a junior, and her hill running when it comes to the state course, where she was 14th last year.
“Klasey knows her way around that golf course in Jeff City,” Lohr said. “She races that golf course really well, and to have her and Geneva race side-by-side and go around there together really helps. And our team gauges itself off where they are. With the good leadership of those kids up front, it only makes the rest of the top seven better.”
Lohr said he was especially impressed with the district race of Mary Zuccarello, who captured 15th (21:09) and led a pack of quartet of Rams that took the next three consecutive spots to close out the MICDS scoring.
“Mary Zuccarello had the race of her life,” Lohr said. “She’s been solid all year long, but it’s her first year of cross country coming to us from volleyball. The fact she got in the top 15 today was really a great race by her.”