The Richard Montgomery Cross Country Girls of 2023, through much confidence and hard work, advanced all the way to states this year. Senior Grace Finnegan, placed twelfth at states with a time of 20:22 and could not be more proud of the team.

“Everyone worked really hard to support teammates. [It was] a really special thing to watch,” Finnegan said.

The RMXC girls continued pushing through and bonded more as they paved a path to the states race. Freshman Adelaide Keller, who placed sixteenth at the state meet agrees with Finnegan. “[I’m] really proud of how the team did this season, despite all the challenges,” she said.

Performance-wise, all the girls put their heart out into their race, and ended satisfied. Finnegan, while she claims it was not her best performance, felt content after her performance due to how hard she worked to just be able to get to the starting line after suffering an injury late in the season.

Keller, similarly injured, missed some time due to injury but prioritized getting healthy instead of continuing training so she could get back quicker. “[I worked my hardest] throughout the season and [am] pretty happy with the way things went,” she said.

The RM girls fought through and placed fifth overall, after a season of constant encouragement. 

As for next year, Finnegan has already chosen her new team: Syracuse. “Finding a team and coaches that really believe and support [me] has been an amazing thing to have this past season,” Finnegan said.

Syracuse will be a new adventure, but Finnegan could not be more proud and satisfied with this year’s experience.

Next year holds so much for not only each individual but the entirety of the team. “[I hope] we are able to build on the success of this season and become faster and more competitive,” Keller said.

Even as the girls cross country team gives goodbyes to Finnegan, there is no doubt that the team will continue to perform incredibly next season. The other four runners that placed top 5 for Richard Montgomery at the states meet were made up of current juniors Audrey Ingress and Lauren Gotting and current freshmen Adelaide Keller and Sasha Goodhart. The seven participating runners all performed at states and proved all of the hard work and practice they had put in every day.

Along with all the effort put in by the girls, the boys also worked tirelessly next to them, but unfortunately didn’t qualify for states. Many of them however, showed up to the state meet and cheered for the girls, showing the team connections and support they all have for one another.

Keller recalls the Bull Run Invitational as extremely memorable. “Both the girls and boys teams did really well and everybody was cheering for one another.”

Overall, the Richard Montgomery Cross Country Girls team endured a tough but strong season and ended the season with an impressive show at the state meet. The coaches and runners could not be more excited and pleased about the 2023 season, looking forward to continuing to compete and run together next year while also happy with all the new memories made this season.