Teays Valley High School Athletics

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy"-Martin Luther King Jr. The Teays Valley Girls Cross Country team has faced many moments of adversity this year. Whether it be injuries, illness, or having to play the underdog in the big dog world of Division 1 cross country. However with their backs against the wall they continue to press forward and work through the challenge presented to them. This week they took to the Westerville North Classic, facing a tall order or tough competition and outstanding runners. The Vikings would battle to the end, finishing 2nd out of 18 teams behind a competiive and hard finishing Jonathan Alder team in the Girls Varsity Race. The Vikings were led by Katy Zang who placed first (18:47), leading wire to wire and winning the Westerville North Classic for the 2nd year in a row. Reese Galinger would follow and with a strong finish placed 2nd (18:51) behind her teammate. Continuing a strong junior campaign, Addision Keplar finished 7th (19:30), with an overall gutsy race competing against strong competitors throughout the entire race. Grace Thanasack, would then become only the 11th girl in school history to break the 20:00 mark, placing 11th overall with a time of 19:47, moving herself into the top 10 of the all-time Teays Valley list. Iris Ardrey, with a strong last mile, continued to pass girls until the very end and placed 71st (22:09) In addition, there were many strong efforts in the Girls Open race as the girls placed 6th out of 11 teams. They were led by a strong performance from Khloe Maxwell who placed 7th (23:26) and Josephine Bowerman (23rd-24:08). Other girls who contributed to the scoring were Bethany Wickline (39th-24:59), Ayla Martinez (40th-24:59), Iris Lanas Garcia (42nd-25:06), Hannah Darst (55th-25:32) Kylee McClure (111th-29:25). It is one step at a time for the Vikings and now with the second step complete, the Vikings look to a week of preparation as they get ready to head down to Mason next Saturday.