Prairie Cross Country took a spot in the top 20 in both the girls and boys races at State this year on November 8th, 2025 after proving their talent and superiority as the District Champs for both the boys and girls teams. 

The girls team placed 19th, and the boys placed 17th. Chloe Copes, 3A first team all league, scored first out of the Prairie girls team, and Tavin Timperley, runner of the year, scored first out of the Prairie boys team. A large part of the team’s success was their synchronicity in their practices and how they applied themselves to the competition. “Our coach has pushed us to all be doing the same thing,” Sophomore and second team all league runner Addison Juhnke says. “We were able to use each other to improve and help each other get better.”

One aspect of practice the team implemented was intensity in their workouts. “Hard workouts a couple of days before our races helped me to gain more speed and allowed me to have a better understanding of how hard I could push myself at the race,” Juhnke says. When the team all does the same thing, the runners get a lot out of the experience, and they all are allowed the opportunity to improve as both individuals and as a team. 

In addition to the physical work the team put in that led them to success, a strong focal point in the team atmosphere surrounded their support for each other. “No matter how I did, everyone would be uplifting and tell me I did a good job,” Freshman and first team all league runner Addie Staley says. “I knew that everyone supported me.” Having a support system that never fails and proves to be strong time and time again is of the utmost importance in a sport where you are not only competing against other runners, but also yourself.

Both Juhnke and Staley say their biggest goals for next year’s season is to not only accomplish making it to State again, but to defeat their previous times and make it further as a team. With the physical and mental tenacity the cross country team proves to have, it will be attained.