On Saturday, November 9, the Boys Cross Country team will be vying for it’s 29th State Championship. With 4 returning runners from last year’s championship team, they are trying to repeat their success from last year with a similar formula.
“State is a pretty stressful experience for all of us, so having experience (at state) is a huge confidence booster.” said Matt Plowman, Junior.
Last year, Plowman was the seventh runner for York, and he and the team are being compared to the 1999 Dukes, who by many are considered the all time best high school cross country team in the state of Illinois.
“[The 1999 Dukes] were one of the best teams of all time; to be compared to them is an honor.”
The Dukes of 2013 have strived so far, much like the vaunted Dukes of 1999. At the Palatine Invitational on September 28, often considered the second biggest meet of the year, the Dukes crushed the competition, winning the meet by 58 points. The reaction to the meet was very encouraging, as they then were ranked first in the nation on September 29.
“We don’t really pay attention (to the national rankings), we just focus one meet at a time.” said Plowman.
For the girls, they had a successful season last year, led by graduate Emma Fisher, the team got 14th place. With Emma Fisher now at Stanford, it may be a little bit more difficult for the Lady Dukes this time around.
“It was hard to run without her (Emma Fisher), but we are working on having a stronger pack.” said Caitlin Blum, senior.
Despite the loss of Fisher, anything is possible under the valuable experience of head coach Anne Schulte.
“Coach Schulte has been through a lot, and it’s nice to have someone who knows a lot about the competition.” said Blum.
Even with the graduation of many upperclassmen, other girls are stepping up into key roles for the Lady Dukes.
“It’s been hard to fill the gaps (of so many seniors from last year), but we have lots of good underclassmen.” Blum said.
With the Boys team having a track record of being successful, as their 28 state championships proves, the girls are a bit under the radar, which can be tough for the girls to deal with.
“[The boys’ team] are a lot more successful than us, but I think sometimes we don’t get enough credit for our hard work,” Blum said