Last weekend, the varsity girls cross country team attended Nike Cross Nationals. They flew across the USA to Oregon where they competed with the top teams and runners in the country.

Their journey to Oregon started long before they boarded a plane though. They fought long and hard to grab a spot as one of the two teams in the Northeast Nike flew out to the West coast. In the end, it all paid off when they placed second in Nike Cross Regionals in New York. This secured their chance of running at Nationals.

Once the team arrived in Oregon, they headed to Nike Cross Headquarters. Here they were supplied with a plethora of running gear and were able to practice on the Nike track with famous athletes such as Shalane Flanagan. Over the next few days, they prepared for the race of a lifetime.

Finally, Saturday morning came and the team was ready. They set off for the brutal, muddy race course. It was a difficult race with the path overflowing with runners, but the team still finished strong. When the results came out, Souhegan had finished 21st out of 22 teams. Although they didn’t place well, the team can now consider themselves the 21st best team in the country. Congratulations Madeleine, Shannon, Emmy, Jane, Elise, Arielle, and Marissa (and of course Coach Wilson and Coach Salvas)!!!

For a more in depth article on the girls’ experience, check out the link below where they documented each day’s adventure.

NXN Diary: Souhegan Girls (Updated!)

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