The Girls Cross Country Season

Manita Mahapatra and Mahika Mahapatra

It has been 42 years since the Hamilton Chargers Girls Cross Country team has made it to state. In 1981, the team finished 13th in the state. This year, the girls placed 6th.

The Hamilton Girls Cross Country Team trained consistently over the summer during the off-season. They would have captain-led practices early in the mornings throughout July. The girls were diligent in coming to practice every morning at 6 a.m. The cross-country season officially started in August.

From the beginning of the season, the girls knew they had a chance, and they knew their biggest rival was Arrowhead. If they placed 2nd in sectionals, they would make it to state. However, they also knew that Arrowhead had just as much of a chance to make it to state as they did.

Between them and Arrowhead, there was some strong rivalry. The Arrowhead girls team had been state champions in 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2013 and even state runner-up in 1999, 2015, and 2016. The Hamilton girls team did not have the same competitive history but knew they had a chance, as they had beaten Arrowhead at an earlier meet by 37 points on August 26th, 2023. The Arrowhead team, however, closed the gap later in the season. By the time of the sectionals race, different local news sites had predicted different score outcomes from the two teams with some predicting Arrowhead for the win and some predicting Hamilton. The ticket to state would be neck and neck, a difference of less than 5 points.

The sectional race took place at Heritage Trails County Park in Slinger. The course was hilly and not a course for personal bests. Before their race, the news came that the boys team missed their chance at qualifying for state. This only motivated them to work harder. The girls beat Arrowhead by 11 points.

After the strong finish at sectionals, the team prepared for state. Senior Carly Elkin led the team and individually placed 6th with a time of 19:52.5. Elkin said:

“[Qualifying for state] was just the best feeling ever. Everything that we had worked towards the past few years—we knew we were capable of it. Going into our season, we knew what we wanted to do. Like we were on a mission. And so like the feeling when we were able to accomplish that mission was just the best feeling ever, and really all I've ever wanted in high school was to be able to go with a team.”

Throughout the season, the team never placed better than second, always up against competitive teams. To put things into perspective, the team finished third at the GMC Conference, second at sectionals, and sixth at state. The team that placed first at sectionals, Slinger, moved on to be State Champion.

The full girls varsity team stands for a picture at the state course after their sixth-place finish at Ridges Golf Course in Wisconsin Rapids with assistant coaches Marcus Paulson and Kirsten DeGroot and head coach Brian Groth.

Moving on to the 2023 WIAA State Cross Country Championship, which took place October 28, 2023, the girls had a goal in mind. When the Lady Chargers last made it to state, they placed thirteenth. The goal was to beat that and place in the top ten. The course was, once again, hilly. It was cold and taking a breath in the air felt harsh, but the team did it. Their hard work paid off, and the Hamilton Cross Country Girls were able to proudly represent the school as top finishers at state. Elkin continued:

“It would've been nice to have the whole team there, but at the same time, it made the girls feel kind of special. I feel like the boys [team] always gets hyped up a lot more than the girls. So to finally be able to show that we, like our girls team, is just as motivated and dedicated as the boys team was, is something that I feel like the Hamilton team hasn't really been able to show for a while.”

When the fifth runner crossed the finish line, it was a shock to see the sixth-place finish at state. The team gathered to celebrate their historical win for Hamilton High School. Senior Abby Mushrush, part of the state qualifying team stated:

“Oh my gosh—I was so surprised! We didn't really have any expectations for ourselves—just to place better than thirteenth. So hearing that we placed sixth was just crazy because I wasn't even—it wasn't even on my mind. So placing sixth was just so great.”

Carly Elkin and Abby Mushrush, important members of the Varsity Girls Cross Country team since their freshman year, fell short of the experience three seasons ago. Elkin and Mushrush were short of experiencing this their freshman year when the team placed well at sub-sectionals. This was normally enough to qualify for state, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they lost the opportunity at their sectional meet. Mushrush explains the situation:

“Okay—It was kind of like this whole buildup, like to the end of the season, and you know how the coaches are at the end of the season. ‘We can do this. We can. We can make it if we just run fast enough. If everybody runs their fastest time, we can make it to state.’ We just got through the day, and it didn't go as well as we hoped, I guess.”

Elkin stated,

“It was a very disappointing day for everyone because we were so close to making it, but we didn't, which is why it made it so special senior year. It's like we were in the exact spot.”

Both seniors were very proud of the team to see how far they had come from the beginning of the season. Mushrush stated:

“So then coming full circle senior year and just having the same situation at the same course—it was just crazy. And I don't know, I just felt really good to win this time instead of losing.”

The Lady Chargers stood beside their decorated van in the hotel parking lot at Wisconsin Rapids, WI, ready for the well-anticipated state race coming up in the following hours. (L to R: Leah Gonwa, Mahika Mahapatra, Lauren DeGroot, Abby Mushrush, Lola Warren, Carly Elkin, and Manita Mahapatra)

The team has gotten closer over the past season. When asked how close the team was this season, Mushrush replied:

“Honestly, this is the closest I've ever felt—I guess freshman year and my first two years, I was close with the team, but not as close as this year. This year, we're all really tight.”

When asked, the same question, Elkin replied:

“Oh, so close <laugh>. I bonded so much this year, and I just love it because instead of just being like a team, we're a friend group. We're friends outside of even just practices and running now, which I think makes a team so much more close—when you're just close to the point when you're just best friends and do stuff together even outside of practices or workouts, and you just make being together a priority. You always know you can trust in your teammates, and they have the same intentions and goals as you when it comes to races.”

The team is looking forward to a new addition of incoming freshmen on the team next season. However, they will all miss seniors Mushrush and Elkin greatly. Their leadership and empathy were things that the team needed to succeed this season.

Head coaches Brian Groth and Eric Loferski, as well as assistant coaches Kirsten DeGroot and Marcus Paulson, worked very well together to implement a new training plan for the season after some unexpected changes occurred regarding the lack of coaches available at the beginning of the season. With their help, the team was able to reach its maximum potential.

The girls were very thankful to their coaches for such a memorable season. Elkin stated:

“I would say some of the biggest things the coaches did were, first of all, supporting us as athletes. You could tell that they really, really cared about us. Not only as athletes but as people. And they always wanted the best for us and were understanding of anything that was going on and our lives...They were understanding, but then they also really watched out for you regarding injuries and if you wanted to take the next step to become a better athlete. They were always willing to work with you so that you could achieve that.”

The Lady Chargers at the cross-country banquet. (L to R: Coach Kirsten DeGroot, Lauren DeGroot, Leah Gonwa, Manita Mahapatra, Mahika Mahapatra, Carly Elkin, Abby Mushrush)

Mushrush stated, “Coach DeGroot. She just really helped with our mental states and made sure that we were all physically okay but also mentally in the right mindset. I think that was really nice. And then Marcus with all the workouts—his workouts are so good.”

Elkin continued, “And then also—they really helped personalize our training, like giving us paces to hit for workouts and doing all of that. And then setting like realistic goals for us and giving us something to look forward towards—giving us goals of stuff that we knew we could accomplish instead of putting some crazy expectations out there for us.”

The girls finished the season with their banquet on November 21st and are looking forward to another amazing upcoming season next year.