The skies, they were ashen and sober. The leaves they were crisped and sere. The leaves they were withering and sere. It was early one morning in November, of a truly most memorable year. The Fortress Obetz rose like a dream before the Lady Panthers. It was a dream that they had seen before, at the OHSAA Preview race, way back in August. But now there was an entirely new connotation to the site. For here, today, the best runners in the state would meet, at a meet to decide champions. For Rachael Hoover, it would be her fourth and final state championship meet. “It’s bittersweet to know that this is the last time I’ll have to be at the school for an early morning bus ride for cross country. It seems like just yesterday that I was a freshman, wide-eyed and not knowing what to expect. But today, I feel confident. The weather is perfect and I know this course like the back of my hand.”
The ride to Obetz was uneventful and the mood on the bus was one of quiet focus. When the Panthers arrived, they were pleasantly surprised to find that their team camp had already been set up by Coaches Mike and Emily Van Winkle, complete with personalized signs. “This is awesome,” said Sadie Miller. “I’m not sure what to expect once we’re out on the course, but last night, I dreamt of dairy cows floating over fences. They were so happy. There were so many. It has to be a sign. I think we’ll go top ten today.”
Soon the girls entered the stadium where they were given some pre-race advice from Coach Van Winkle. “This is it. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. It’s time to run the best race of your life. Many moons ago we talked about this day. The stars are in alignment. The milk is flowing free. I got here at 5:30 this morning and said an orison to the heavens. Good feelings. Free flowing. It’s all a circle.” The girls looked at each other with bewilderment, not really knowing what to make of this pre-race speech. “Sometimes Van Winkle is hard to understand,” said Hannah Niehaus. “But we know that he has so much more experience with running distance than we do, that we just smile and nod when he starts talking.” Sophomore Elizabeth Phillippo chose to talk in third person. “Elizabeth Phillippo is ready. She has been dreaming of this ever since last season and she is really excited. And this is really cool, and there’s a lot of good girls here, but she is ready to unleash the dawg and put Fairbanks on the map. She can feel the alpha vibes unleashing.”
It drew near 10:00 and the girls were warmed-up and primed for the show. They stepped to the line and POW! They were off in the 2023 State Championship race. 184 girls bounded down the opening straightaway and headed into the Fortress in front of a frenzied crowd. Rachael Hoover led the way for the Panthers, hanging out near the top 30. She was followed closely by freshmen Ava Lahmers and Sadie Miller. They cleared the stadium and went on a jaunt behind it, the crowd pressing the upper benches to get a view of the race. The 17 minute mark came quickly and with it, the first girls came into view. It was all Minster, all the time, as they would roll to a team state title. But the Panthers would finish strong as the 11th best team in the state!!! Full results below:
Rachael Hoover—36th—19:27
Ava Lahmers—54th—19:53
Sadie Miller—117th—21:08
Mara Vicari—119th—21:09
Molly Thrush—174th—23:07
Hannah Niehaus—180th—23:40
Elizabeth Philippo—184th—24:33
“What a day!” said Head Coach Van Winkle when the dust settled. “That was amazing, and I’m so proud of these girls. They had this as a goal all season, and it was one that we weren’t sure we could accomplish, but their hard work has really paid off and to say we have the 11th best team in the entire state is really something.” While Van Winkle cooled off, the girls made their way back to the team camp where they were greeted by a cadre of parents and school administrators, all there to congratulate these ladies for a job well done. Some caring mothers even brought the favorite snacks for all of the girls; these were quickly devoured by juniors Bryce Nisly, Nicholas Johnson, and Zeke Gingerich, and freshmen Elton Bailey and Brady Adams, all of whom rode the bus to help cheer on the Lady Panthers. With full bellies and tired legs, the girls took off for one final cool down; it would be the last for senior Rachael Hoover, who left a permanent mark on the Fairbanks XC program. “Rachael’s just been a monster, from freshman year on,” said Van Winkle of his star athlete. “She going to be running at the next level and I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes at BGSU, but I can’t put into words how much she has meant to this school. It was great to see her run such a great race as her last one. Any other year and she would’ve been all-Ohio, but the competition was legit out there, and she stood her own.”
