FVHS fall sports are on a roll in the playoffs. This time, it’s the womens cross country team. The womens cross country team is historically good and always has a good core of underclassmen runners that provide the next generation of talented athletes. 

Last year, one of the strong underclassmen was current junior Maddie St. Pierre. St. Pierre placed well at multiple competitions her sophomore year, and has grown in cross country immensely.

St. Pierre began her postseason run Oct. 16, with a sixth place finish out of 55 at the Greater Neuse River Conference Championship. This high placement landed her a spot at the East Regional Championship. 

The East Regional Championship took place Oct. 26, where St. Pierre finished 25th of 158, a finish that sent her all the way to the State Championship, something she was working really hard for.

“I was nervous at regionals because I needed to qualify for States, but since I made States, I was really excited for it. It was my main goal,” said St. Pierre.

St. Pierre did well at the state competition, ending at 94th of 176, and was the only FVHS cross country member to make the State Championship between the women and the men.

North Carolina is one of the most competitive states for high school cross country, and to even make the State Championship is a huge accomplishment. Placing in the top 100 is just the cherry on top.

One of the biggest preventives of athletes doing well in cross country is the injuries. The womens team as a whole did well during the regular season, placing second in the Conference, but injuries made running hard, even after healing from them.

“The medical boot did its rounds through the team, and everyone was getting booted up at some point,” said St. Pierre.

While no one can be too certain about the future, St. Pierre and most other cross country athletes agree that next year will be even better. The number of seniors that will be on the team next year suggests a potential team run in the playoffs.