As a sophomore in high school, there’s a lot of pressure on Allie Kinlaw at the state playoffs. At regionals, she finished  9th overall and qualified for state meet. However, traveling cross-country for three years has helped her become the runner she is today. “Having a new coach always makes for a better athlete,” Allie says, referring to the departure of the team’s previous coach last season. Kinlaw also speaks on overcoming adversity, saying “Recovering from a stress fracture was a setback”. However, she thanks friends, family, her new coach, her amazing healing process, and supportive team. One thing Allie loves about the team is how close-knit everyone is. Team bonding plays a big part in how any team can work together during a competition. Allie says going out on weekends with the team after runs or having a pool party over the summer really helped with the teamwork on the field.

Challenging work always pays off. A typical practice for cross country includes warmups, lots of drills, and long runs. Doing these three things repetitively helped Allie make it to state and achieve success. Being so accomplished as only a sophomore is an outstanding thing for Kinlaw. Allie has such a bright future ahead of her, including her running career. Coach Donny Lake posted on the cross-country team board, “Allie finished 15th in the state meet against very tough competition. It was great to see some of our team out there supporting her. She is a great example of class and humility and hopefully will motivate others to work super hard for next season.”

Additional Information: Coach Donny Lake coached cross-country alongside assistant Coach Courtney Murphy.