District XC Championship - Team Results

Overall, we had a tougher day than might have been expected. We were a little bit off our groove, but, considering it was an off-day for us, the athletes still had INCREDIBLE performances.

• Congrats to our 7th Grade Girls Team for being DISTRICT RUNNER-UP!!
  This team has had an incredible season. We had nearly 30 7th grade girls come out this season to challenge themselves, practice grit, improve their endurance capability and athleticism, and it was so exciting to be a part of. After winning 4 of the meets, our 7th Grade Girls Team took 2nd to Highland Park at the District Championship. We put 1 in the Top 10.
• Congrats to our 8th Grade Boys team for placing 3RD AT DISTRICT!
  Our goal was to stay on the podium at District, and these boys did it! Such impressive work by this team. It's been so fun having them on the team these past two years, and I am so excited for them as they face their next XC challenge at the HS level!

District XC Championship - Individual Results

• Congrats to individual 8th Grade Boys Champion, Preston Kennedy! He is the individual DISTRICT CHAMPION!
  Preston went undefeated this XC Season! In fact, he won 9 out of his 10 middle school XC races! Congratulations, Preston, on another awesome season! Thank you for always encouraging and inspiring your teammates towards further excellence.
• Congrats to Jacqueline Garnic for finishing in the TOP 10 at District!
  Jacqueline has been so consistent this season and finished out with another awesome race with a 5th place finish at the District meet! She was really aggressive from the start, staying right with the HP girls from the get-go! Way to go, Jacqueline!
• Congrats to Mitchell Smith for finishing in the TOP 10 at District!
  Mitchell had a tough race, even falling twice! Yet this stud athlete still finished strong with a 6th place finish! Additionally, he showed wonderful sportsmanship after his race by congratulating his main competitors and was willing to engage in friendly and encouraging conversation with them. So impressive following a tough race! Proud of you, Mitchell!
• Congrats to Tom Goeders for finishing in the TOP 10 at District!
  Tom had an awesome race and incredible grit to close out the race with a kick, putting him in 9th! He has been such a consistent teammate throughout this season! By passing such a big group of guys right before the finish, he absolutely made a difference in the overall team score, helping our 8th Grade Boys team to stay on the podium at District! Great work, Tom!

Congrats to ALL Athletes who finished in the Top 15!!!!

• 7th Grade Girls
• Jacqueline Garnic - 5th Place
• Abi Watson - 11th Place
• Valentina Olvera - 13th Place
• Hannah Roberts - 15th Place
• 7th Grade Boys
• Mitchell Smith - 6th Place
• 8th Grade Boys
• Preston Kennedy - 1st Place
• Tom Goeders - 9th Place

Shout Out to our athletes who are nearing Top 15 / Pushing towards Top 20!

• 7th Grade Girls
• Camille Pettit - 16th Place
• Harper Quigg - 20th Place
• Claire Carlson - 23rd Place
• Lucy Richardson - 25th Place
• 8th Grade Boys
• Bryan Schmidt - 16th Place
• John O'Brien - 24th Place
• Carson Reyes - 27th Place

Great work to ALL our District athletes! So impressed by your grit and hard work this season!

Recap from our team breakfast this morning! Thank you to the Booster Club!!!!!

Have a great evening,

Thank you,

David Müeller

Athletes of the Week

Last year, we began to recognize "Athletes of the Week" in a memorable way. Celebrating their consistent efforts, focus, demonstration of a growth mindset, determination, sportsmanship, and heart of service, Athletes of the Week receive an original Lovejoy XC jersey that they can choose to wear at a practice each week. We are so excited to name Camille Pettit, Valentina Olvera, and Abi Watson as our Athletes of the Week!

• Camille Pettit made a STATEMENT at the first race of the season, with an individual podium finish on a really challenging course. The competitive mindset she has embraced has led her to implement injury-prevention and strengthening routines on her own time. She has excellent camaraderie with her teammates, and is yet another Top 5 “pack runner” on the 7th grade girls team. Her passion to be a great athlete has pushed her peers onward, benefitting the entire team. On top of this, Camille shows up with a determined yet joyful attitude at practice each day, promoting the positive team culture that we all enjoy!
• Valentina Olvera is in her first year of XC and was immediately recognized for her competitive nature that pushes the 7th Grade Girls team towards new heights. She has consistently finished in the Top 5 on the 7th Grade Girls team, being a “pack runner” through and through. Coach Littlefield immediately celebrated her aggressive start at the first race of the season, noting how important that is in XC races so that we can be competitive in races. Valentina not only has talent and a great work ethic, but a great heart that encourages community and commitment to the team. We are so thankful to have Valentina as part of the Lovejoy XC Program! Can’t wait to see great things from her in the coming seasons!
• Abi Watson is in her first year of XC and has modeled excellence from the get-go! She has consistently been in the Top 5 at meets, pack-running with her teammates to help the 7th Grade Girls team achieve outstanding results throughout the season. Her grit in practices and races has promoted the iron-sharpens-iron culture that we strive for. She lives out the STRONGER-FASTER-TOUGHER mindset that we aim for in this program. On top of that, Abi is a very joyful person who values strong bonds with her teammates. She is an encourager, and team-builder. We are so thankful to have Abi as part of the Lovejoy XC Program! Can’t wait to see great things from her in the coming seasons!

Looking forward to District!

David Müeller

Girls Athletes of the Week

Last year, we began to recognize "Athletes of the Week" in a memorable way. Celebrating their consistent efforts, focus, demonstration of a growth mindset, determination, sportsmanship, and heart of service, Athletes of the Week receive an original Lovejoy XC jersey that they can choose to wear at a practice each week. We are so excited to name Alisa Kontareva, Natalie Young, Caroline Crews, and Hannah Roberts as our Athletes of the Week!

• Alisa Kontareva has been an outstanding addition to the 8th Grade Girls XC team this season. We only wish she was in the program sooner! Hoping in mid-season, Alisa got right to work finding a group to train with and added a focused yet joyful demeanor to the team environment. She had great races this season finishing in our Top 5 scorers. Alisa really seeks to do her best both at practices and in races, and her efforts made a positive impact on her team and their performance! We are so thankful that Alisa is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Natalie Young immediately set the tone in her first practice to be one of the hardest workers, and soon followed that up by being one of the most encouraging teammates in the program. At our first XC meet, Coach Littlfield acknowledged the positive impact that Natalie was making on the team culture. Natalie exemplifies an incredible balance between working hard and having fun! She is unrelenting in workouts, encouraging to her teammates in races, and is among the first to volunteer to help when needed. We are so thankful that Natalie is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Caroline Crews made a statement early on this XC season by demonstrating her joyful disposition AND speed. Her natural competitiveness has inspired her teammates to new heights in workouts and races. Caroline has been in our Top 7 on the outstanding 7th Grade Girls team. Her race performance has drastically helped to increase the point differential between the teams, allowing the team as a whole to shine. While Caroline's performances have been exemplary, it is matched by her positive mindset and willingness to encourage and uplift her teammates! We are so thankful that Caroline is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Hannah Roberts is in her first year of XC and has immediately made a positive impact on team performance and team culture. Hannah is joyful and friendly, but matches that with a competitive spirit and a ton of talent. Hannah's work ethic has helped her consistently perform in the Top 5 of our Area Champions 7th grade girls team! Hannah's consistent efforts to "pack run" have allowed her team not only to win, but to demolish the competition. We are so thankful that Hannah is part of the Lovejoy XC Program, and can't wait to see her at the District Championship!

Boys Athletes of the Week

Last year, we began to recognize "Athletes of the Week" in a memorable way. Celebrating their consistent efforts, focus, demonstration of a growth mindset, determination, sportsmanship, and heart of service, Athletes of the Week receive an original Lovejoy XC jersey that they can choose to wear at a practice each week. We are so excited to name Carson Reyes, Weston Lange, and William Kaufman as our Athletes of the Week!

• Carson Reyes conquered 2 middle school cross country seasons which is an impressive feat considering how mentally and physically challenging the sport is. Carson has been one of our most consistent runners during his time with WSMS XC. He has consistently been a Top 5 runner this season - which means the team has depended on him at every single race for the past 2 years. Carson brings an incredible amount of focus to practice everyday, and consistently works to improve. We are so excited and thankful to have a person of such high quality and work ethic, like Carson, as part of the Lovejoy XC Program! Can't wait to see him at the District XC Meet!
• Weston Lange is wrapping up his second middle school cross country season and has shown impressive grit in his training and races during that time. In every race, I can trust Weston to give his all! He is not only kind to others and focused during practices, but also seeks to do his best daily. Through his consistent hard work, Weston has experienced a ton of improvement and is now consistently finishing in the Top 7 on the 8th grade boys team. I have really appreciated all of his effort, his consistency at practices, and his kindness. We are excited for Weston's last middle school XC race coming up the District Championship, and are thankful that he is a part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• William Kaufman is in his first XC season at WSMS and has often been the #2 guy on the 7th grade boys team. Will is not afraid to be aggressive at the start of a race which puts him in a position to be competitive in the race. He often challenges the other 7th grade boys to move forward in races, not letting him nor his teammates get too comfortable in a race. Beyond this, William is such a pleasant and kind person who is eager to challenge himself and improve his athleticism. I have been really impressed with the tough and focused mindset that he continually embraces during hard workouts and races. We are so thankful that Will is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!

Lovejoy Meet - Individual Results

• Congrats to individual 8th Grade Boys Champion, Preston Kennedy! He is the individual AREA CHAMPION!
• Congrats to individual 7th Grade Boys Runner-up, Mitchell Smith! 3rd place was nearly 200 meters behind him!
• Congrats to individual 7th Grade Girls Bronze Medalist, Jacqueline Garnic! Jacqueline has podiumed in all of her races!

Congrats to ALL Athletes who finished in the Top 15!!!!

• 7th Grade Girls
• Jaqueline Garnic - 3rd Place
• Camille Pettit - 5th Place
• Valentina Olvera - 7th Place
• Abi Watson - 8th Place
• Hannah Roberts - 10th Place
• 7th Grade Boys
• Mitchell Smith - 2nd Place
• 8th Grade Boys
• Preston Kennedy - 1st Place
• Tom Goeders - 6th Place

Shout Out to our athletes who are nearing Top 15 / Pushing towards Top 20!

• 7th Grade Girls
• Claire Carlson - 21st Place
• Harper Quigg - 22nd Place
• Lucy Richardson - 28th
• 8th Grade Girls
• Bronwynn Vaughan - 19th Place
• Harper Dixon - 20th Place
• Lindsay Schmidt - 24th Place
• Aubrey Anderton - 26th Place
• Alisa Kontareva - 27th Place
• 8th Grade Boys
• Bryan Schmidt - 17th Place
• John O'Brien - 24th Place
• Carson Reyes - 27th Place

Area XC Meet - Team Results

It should be pointed out that we are in a much tougher Area than the other half of the District. These kids are facing the best teams in the District, and they are doing great work against middle schools much larger than WSMS. Most of these other MS's feed into large 6A high schools.

Congrats to our 7th Grade Girls Team for being AREA CHAMPIONS!! This team took down Highland Park and all the Prosper Middle Schools, and — respectfully — it wasn't even close! This team put the top 5 scorers in front of HP's 3rd scorer.

Congrats to our 8th Grade Boys team for placing 3rd at the Area meet! On to District where we will aim to stay on the podium!

7th Grade Boys team wasn't in full force at the Area meet, and on top of that we had a few tough races. All in all, I am proud of the hard work these guys have put in! Now we need to buckle-up and focus on bringing out more 7th grade friends to practices / track season to increase the competition each day in practice. Iron sharpens Iron — these guys are off to a good start, now we need more Iron!

8th Grade Girls team had a tough day and the results were not at all what we aimed for. Due to a 5th place finish by only TWO points, the 8th grade girls team will not be moving on to District. This is a bit of a shock, but bad days happen, and unfortunately this time, it happened to us.

Shoutout to Harper Dixon for having a super strong race and pushing the pace/team throughout the race — she had a season PR by over 35 seconds and finished as our #2 girl, executing a great race at the meet that really counts! Way to go, Harper! Alisa Kontareva for joining us mid-season and being our #5 girl at Area! She immediately joined in and made a positive impact on the team! Way to go, Alisa!

Thank you,

David Müeller

Congrats to our 8th Grade Girls team for placing 2nd at the meet. Raced WELL! Frontrunner put in critical work to break into the Top 10 (9th Place) and the PACK moved UP throughout the race, leaving the team 8 points ahead of Cockrill. These girls have a big fight on their hands coming up on Monday at Area!

Congrats to our 8th Grade Boys team for placing 2nd at the meet! These guys put 2 in the Top 10, and 4 in the Top 15! Our #5 guy had an awesome race finishing in 23rd!

Rogers Meet - Individual Results

• Congrats to individual 8th Grade Boys Champion, Preston Kennedy! He won all 3 of his regular season meets!!
• Congrats to individual 7th Grade Boys Runner-up, Mitchell Smith! Mitchell has podiumed in every regular season race!
• Congrats to individual 7th Grade Girls Runner-up, Jacqueline Garnic! Jacqueline has podiumed in both of her regular season races!
• Congrats to 7th Grade Girls 3rd place individual medalist, Camille Pettit!
• Shoutout to Abi Watson, Valentina Olvera, & Hannah Roberts for their 4-5-6 place finishes!

Congrats to ALL Athletes who finished in the Top 15!!!!

• 7th Grade Girls
• Jaqueline Garnic - 2nd Place
• Camille Pettit - 3rd Place
• Abi Watson - 4th Place
• Valentina Olvera - 5th Place
• Hannah Roberts - 6th Place
• Claire Carlson - 9th Place
• Caroline Crews - 12th Place
• Harper Quigg - 14th Place
• 7th Grade Boys
• Mitchell Smith - 2nd Place
• 8th Grade Girls
• Bronwyn Vaughan - 9th Place
• 8th Grade Boys
• Preston Kennedy - 1st Place
• Tom Goeders - 8th Place
• Bryan Schmidt - 11th Place
• Carson Reyes - 12th Place

Shout Out to our athletes who are nearing Top 15 — pushing towards Top 20!

• 7th Grade Girls
• Natalie Young - 22nd
• Lucy Richardson - 23rd
• 7th Grade Boys
• William Kaufman - 18th Place
• 8th Grade Girls
• Aubrey Anderton - 17th Place
• Ella Carr - 21st Place
• Eliza Abraham - 22nd Place
• Alisa Kontareva - 25th Place
• Harper Dixon - 26th Place
• Lindsay Schmidt - 27th Place
• 8th Grade Boys
• John O'Brien - 23rd Place

Thank you,

David Müeller

Athletes of the Week!

Last year, we began to recognize "Athletes of the Week" in a memorable way. Celebrating their consistent efforts, focus, demonstration of a growth mindset, determination, sportsmanship, and heart of service, Athletes of the Week receive an original Lovejoy XC jersey that they can choose to wear at a practice each week. We are so excited to name Harper Quigg, Ella Carr, Michael Jenkersen, and Tom Goeders as our Athletes of the Week!

• Harper Quigg is in her first year of XC and has just started training in these last few weeks. She started working hard right from the first day and had an awesome group of training partners to run with. Since we missed her in the time trial, it was so fun to see her crush it at the Evans XC Meet — helping the 7th grade girls team put 6 GIRLS in the top 15 at the first meet! Harper's positivity and grit is so awesome to see on the daily. She exemplifies a "STRONGER FASTER TOUGHER" mindset on the daily to better herself and her team. We are so excited to see more great things from Harper this season and are so thankful she is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Ella Carr is in her second year of XC, but her first year with us here at WSMS XC, and we only WISH we had her with us sooner! Ella has been a positive, self-motivated, hard-working athlete from the start! She jumped right in with an eagerness to get to work and challenge herself. She's been such a joyful teammate, and really showed off in the Evans XC Meet, showcasing her willingness to go all in and chase down a couple runners from a team we needed to finish in front of, and she was TOUGH and chased them down! She exemplifies a "STRONGER FASTER TOUGHER" mindset on the daily to better herself and her team. We are so excited to see more great things from Ella this season and are so thankful she is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Michael Jenkersen enters his first year on the WSMS XC Team and he has gone FULL EFFORT since showing up! It has been encouraging to see such a great contribution to the team culture by his consistent work-ethic. He has jumped right into working hard with his teammates and challenging them to new levels in workouts and races! At the Evans Meet, he led a pack of 4 WSMS XC Boys to move up in the race for the later half of the race. His willingness to lead a push in the race, surrounded by like-minded teammates is something to celebrate! We are so excited to see more great things from Michael this season and are so thankful he is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Tom Goeders enters his first year at WSMS, but he is not new to the sport. He made quite an announcement on his arrival, having the fastest overall One Mile Time Trial this year in 5:40! Tom has been such a hard-working athlete — consistently coming out to the summer practices starting in July, and working with full effort every day. He has been a phenomenal addition to our team by challenging our other XC Boys towards excellence in each practice and the races! He delivered as the #2 guy on the 8th Grade Boys team earning the WIN at the Evans Meet! We are so excited to see more great things from Tom this season and are so thankful he is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!

Thank you,

David Müeller

Athlete of the Week

Last year, we began to recognize "Athletes of the Week" in a very special way. Celebrating their consistent efforts, focus, demonstration of a growth mindset, determination, sportsmanship, and heart of service, Athletes of the Week receive one of the original Lovejoy XC jerseys that they can choose to wear at a practice each week. To cover last week and this week, we are so excited to name Claire Carlson, Mitchell Smith, Bronwyn Vaughan, and Bryan Schmidt as our Athletes of the Week!

• Claire Carlson is beginning her first year with the WSMS XC team and she showed-up with speed and a smile! Claire has positive energy for days, and takes that right into her approach to workouts. Her mindset, attitude, and actions exemplify the girls' program motto of "STRONGER, FASTER, TOUGHER." It has been awesome seeing the way she maintains a genuine friendliness, all the while being an unrelenting competitor. At this rate, Claire is headed towards success, and significantly, she's bringing the whole 7th grade girls team with her! We are so excited to see more great things from Claire this season and are so thankful she is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Mitchell Smith is beginning his first year on the WSMS XC team and made quite a statement from the get-go. It was initially shocking to see this 7th grader jump right into a tempo workout with the likes of Preston, Tom, and Bryan and run with them as if he'd been doing it for months. Continuing on theme, Mitchell battled with Tom during the Time Trial running smooth 5:41 to kick off the season with a statement! Beyond this, Mitchell has such a positive attitude, and continues to challenge his training group with the amount of effort he brings to each practice. We are so excited to see more great things from Mitchell this season and are so thankful he is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Bronwyn Vaughan enters her second year on the WSMS XC team and has immediately worked to inspire her teammates towards excellence and success. Her consistent, high quality work ethic never misses a beat, and she is often found making sure to finish the last few minutes of her run or putting in some additional minutes if there is time to spare. Along with this, she works to unify the team by putting full effort in games and team bonding opportunities. She exemplifies a STRONGER, FASTER, TOUGHER mindset and lifestyle, never skipping the details in warm-ups, workouts, or post-work. We are so excited to see more great things from Bronwyn this season and are so thankful she is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!
• Bryan Schmidt enters his second year on the WSMS XC team and continues to impress me with his full-effort attitude. When the work gets tough, Bryan gets to work. His competitive mindset is showcased in his refusal to back down from a fight. He has continually supported the team with outstanding past performances in races, as well as full-effort contributions in practices. Bryan has demonstrated reliability and trustworthiness to his team through his actions. Success isn't built in a day, and Bryan is successful. His consistent efforts have been encouraging to me and his team. This kid has got GRIT. We are so excited to see more great things from Bryan this season and are so thankful he is part of the Lovejoy XC Program!

Have a great weekend,

David Müeller