The Lafayette Cross Country team competed again at the Meet of Champions on October 20th, 2024. After competing at Masterson Station for the Area 6 Meet on October 12, 2024, the Generals returned to action. They headed to the Kentucky Horse Park to participate in the Meet of Champions. The Meet of Champions is essentially the state meet for JV squads. Junior Varsity teams from across the state come to get a good, competitive race before their season ends. Varsity teams often compete in the state championship meet, while the JV rosters of those teams often compete in the Meet of Champions.
Lafayette rested their varsity squad, who are the top seven runners for the boys and girls teams, so the meet featured the junior varsity squad. The runners participating, faced a tough challenge, the horse park course was especially difficult because of the long, steep hills, and the course being longer than the normal distance of a cross country course. A regular cross country course is five kilometers (3.12 miles) but the horse park course was just over five kilometers (roughly 3.2 miles). The extra 100 meter difference may seem small, but it can add almost a full 30 seconds to a runner’s time.
The girls race was first, starting at 1:30 p.m. Despite the heat the girls persevered and had some great performances. Junior Lexi Hunt was the first Lafayette girls runner to finish, having an impressive race. She ran a time of 24:57, earning her 37th place out of a total of 140 girls runners.
The boys went next at 2:15 p.m. There were many good performances from the boys side, most notably, junior Cole Shaver and senior Isaac Wells. Shaver ran a time of 17:51, with Wells right behind him with a time of 18:04. These times earned them 13th and 14th place out of a total of 302 boys runners.
When asked about the overall team performance, junior Spencer Fuqua said, “I think we did good with a lot of good performances all around. It was a hard course and I think we did good for how hard it was.”This meet was the final meet of the season for the junior varsity team, and when reflecting on the season as a whole. Fuqua added, “I think we had a really good season overall. Lots of people set big personal bests and as a full team we came away with a win or two which is always nice.” Many of the members of the cross country team set personal bests this season, making Lafayette not only one of the deepest rosters in the city, but in the state.
With the JV season being over, there are many things the team can be proud of. The boys junior varsity team came away with many awards, most notably winning the Area 6 meet. Additionally, there were many excellent performances, with the vast majority of the JV team, both boys and girls, setting large personal records. Congrats on the amazing season Generals!
Looking forward, the varsity squads will compete for the regional championship on October 26, 2024. They will travel out to Bourbon County to attempt to defend their regional title. Good luck Generals!
