Springfield HS girls XC team completes successful season
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — After 14 years as an assistant, Trae Cotner took over as the head coach of the Springfield High Cross Country program in 2022, a job he inherited from his old high school coach, Dan Devlin. In his first year at the helm, Trae and the 14 runners who made the girls varsity squad set the bar high for future Senator XC teams.
鈥淎s soon as I saw the makeup of this team, I knew they had what it would take to make it to state,鈥� Trae says. 鈥淲e talked about it all summer. This has been their goal since they missed it by one place last year.鈥�
That conviction only increased throughout the fall season. At each meet, the team outpaced their previous performance and their coach鈥檚 expectations. Trae credits the hard work that each runner was willing to put in at every practice, but also some intangibles.
鈥淭hey never put too much pressure on themselves. They had a unique ability to break the tension with a joke or just something to help them relax. They are great competitors when the starter alarm goes off, but they know how to stay in the moment and not overthink things,鈥� he says.
Senior runner Hannah Elston, who holds a personal best of 21:19 on the three-mile high school course, has another reason she and her teammates had such a strong season.
“Coach Cotner made cross country a highlight from my time here at SHS,鈥� Hannah says. 鈥淥ur success is due to his unwavering support for each and every one of us and his training program, both of which you cannot experience from another coach.鈥�
Hannah discovered her love of running in the fourth grade when she joined Girls on the Run. Teammate Madeline Kim was also inspired to take up running by the girl empowerment program. She began her competitive career as a fifth grader at Lincoln Magnet and has advanced to a personal best of 18:23 as a varsity runner.
鈥淚鈥檒l always remember the team dinners we鈥檇 have every Friday before a meet,鈥� Madeline says. 鈥淏ut the best part is definitely the people and community. I鈥檝e met so many great people throughout my years at SHS and I am very grateful for that.鈥�
Melia Muschinske (20:32) seconds Melanie鈥檚 assessment that it’s their fun and supportive teammates who made running cross country such a rewarding experience. And the pun is not lost on her when she credits the coaches for going the extra mile in getting to know each runner personally. For Melia, it all came together at the SHS XC Invite back in September.
鈥淭hat meet, all around, was so much fun,鈥� Melia says. 鈥淭he weather was perfect, and a bunch of my classmates came to watch and cheer. The team did amazing together, and everyone had a good race.鈥�
On November 5, seven SHS runners competed at the IHSA Class 2A state championship at Peoria鈥檚 Detweiller Park. But Coach Cotner is adamant that it took the hard work and pride of all 14 varsity runners throughout the season to get them there.
Payton Heise (19:45) was one of the seven to compete in Peoria. Her favorite memory of the 2022 season was when a teammate yelled 鈥渃harge!鈥� after the starter shot went off. And they certainly did.
鈥淓veryone was able to make the atmosphere fun and light-hearted,鈥� Payton says. 鈥淲e are all super close and would do anything for one another.鈥�
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