Mr. Tolarchyk, Tristan Fancher, junior, Alexis Rice, sophomore, Zachary Schubert, junior, Mr. Sarver
On November 16th, the Cross Country Team traveled to Leesburg, Virginia, to race in the State Championship. Three athletes, Tristan Fancher, Alexis Rice, and Zachary Schubert, were selected to represent their school in the event. Their journey to this point was filled with challenges and achievement, from teammate, Tyler Trago, racing with a broken foot at regionals to the team starting summer training early in preparation for the 2023-2024 season.
Despite suffering a broken foot, Tyler Trago still ran. Coach Tolarchyk reflected on his determination, saying, “He was running on a broken foot at the regional meet, which takes an insane amount of guts. Running a 5K on a broken foot takes an insane amount of guts.”
Adding to the team’s resilience was Tanner Martin, who served as the leader during this challenging stretch. Tolarchyk praised Martin’s performance, noting, “Tanner Martin was our leader, and he ran a gutsy and inspiring PR at the regional championship to give our team even a fighting chance at regionals was honestly pretty insane.
With Tyler Trago sidelined due to injury, other athletes had to step up. Coach Tolarchyk highlighted the performances of Zachary Schubert, Tristan Fancher, and Alexis Rice throughout the season. “Given Tyler’s injury, Zach and Tristan really had to step up,” said Tolarchyk.
Each week, the athletes participated in a workouts aimed at improving their stamina, speed, and mental toughness for the upcoming meets. These sessions were crucial in preparing them for the challenges of cross-country courses, which often differ significantly from their usual training. Reflecting on the difficulty of the state course, Zachary Schubert acknowledged the challenges unique to the event.“As always, no one really does as good as they want to at the state course with how challenging that course is. Especially here in Chesapeake, we don’t really have that hill access, except Bells Mill and Mount Trashmore. Yet, we rarely had the opportunity to go there for Trashmore,” Schubert said. Despite these limitations, the team’s dedication and preparation helped them put their best foot forward on race day.
Though they faced adversity, the lessons learned throughout the season will inspire future cross-country runners to push through their own challenges.