Our Draper cross country team, specifically our 11-12 year old girls, are riding high after bringing home the Junior Olympics National Cross Country Championship title.
The championship took place on December 11th in Paris, Kentucky. It brought runners from all over the country to battle through wind, hail, and potential tornados.
“The weather was intense!” Coach Michele said. “It was freezing cold with sideways hail and 40 mph wind gusts. There was even a tornado warning at the start line that made the runners go and have to wait in a tent for several minutes. We ended up putting trash bags over them to keep them warm. I told them they didn’t have to run in this if they didn’t want to.”
Every single runner chose to run, and all seven placed in the top 25. As a result, each was named an All-American and the team won the national title.
“Not only did the 11 and 12 year old girls accomplish something special, but the rest of our teams also accomplished some amazing results,” Michele said. “Our 11-12 boys finished in a three-way tie for third place.”
Way to go team!!
Meeting the Governor
In January, our National Champion 11-12 girls team was invited to visit the Utah State Capitol and meet with Governor Spencer Cox and Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson.
All seven runners spent some time with Governor Cox and Lt Governor Henderson to share about their experiences at the National Championship back in December. They talked about running in the freezing temperatures, hailstorms, mud, 40 mph winds… oh, and a TORNADO that made national news.
Both KSL and a local Draper newsletter shared great stories about our championship team that you can read here and here.
This awesome team showed us all what being Unstoppable really means. Congratulations!
Photos by Utah State Office of the Governor
