Senior Sarah May is an all-conference all-star

Cross country all-conference, especially on the varsity level, is an incredibly hard feat to accomplish in the West Suburban Conference. The WSC has some of the toughest competition in the state and even the country, yet senior Sarah May has managed to make all-conference all four years of her high school running career.

Less than 35 girls have received the honor of all-conference for four years in the history of the WSC, making it one of the most prestigious awards for a cross-country athlete to receive.

“Since 1977, there have been only 34 West Suburban Conference athletes to earn All-Conference honors for all 4 of their years competing,” Coach Lauren DeAngelis said. “In 2018, Sarah May joined this prestigious group of WSC athletes, which is recognized as one of the toughest in the state.  This is a tremendous honor that is a direct result of her tireless work ethic, dedication and sacrifice to a sport and team she truly loves. I am honored to have worked with such a tremendous athlete these past 4 years.”

May has worked hard year-round, running in the mornings before school, at night after summer practices and anytime she could fit in a run to increase her weekly mileage. Her dedication to the sport has resulted in many accomplishments throughout her four-year running career, such as placing top 25 in the state meet and qualifying individually in the 800-meter race her sophomore year and the 1600 meter race her junior year for track.

“Sarah is one of the most hardworking athletes I have ever worked with,” Coach Keegan Maletich said. “Her commitment to doing the little things right and leading by examples to encourage her teammates to do the same is a big part of what has lead to her great improvement over the years. She is a fierce competitor who rises to whatever challenge she faces. She is a student of the sport always looking to get better and improve her team in any way that she can”

May has been a leader on the team, taking girls under her wing and showing them the ropes of varsity running and has led the varsity team to top 5 finishes and qualifications for the state meet the past three years.

“This year there are 6 freshmen on top-thirteen, three of whom are racing in the state series, and I think that Sarah has taught them a lot not only about racing but what it means to be a good teammate,” said senior teammate Anna Morley. “She always has a very strong start and gets herself in a good position and I think they try to follow her lead and get themselves in good positions too. Sarah leads by example through all of the hard work she puts in, which inspires the whole team to strive to keep getting better.”

With all of her hard work and dedication to the sport of running, this prestigious honor of four years of all-conference could not have been received by a more deserving person. Now, in the heart of the state series, May is working even harder trying to drop her times to help the team qualify for state and with the support of the entire school behind her, big things are in store for her over the next three weeks.

“At first, I was just really excited that my last conference meet was my highest finish but then I was told that I had gotten all-conference all four years and it made the experience extra special,” said May. “It still doesn’t feel like it was my last WSC cross country meet but it was great to end my last one on a high note.”