Champions! Girls win it all!

With 13 top ten State Finals finishes in the last 20 years, the Milford girls cross country team was already one of the most successful athletic programs in Michigan.  But that state championship had been just out of reach. That all changed on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The Mavericks prevailed and pulled off the victory, bringing home the state championship for the first time in school history. The score of 150 beat their competitors Ann Arbor Pioneer (172) and Northville (178).  In cross country, a team’s first five runners that cross the finish line count toward the overall score, and the lowest score wins.

Finally, after being in the top 10 so many times, they can call themselves the best team this year.

“There’s nothing better than that feeling of accomplishment,” said said girls country head coach Brian Salyers.  “This was the missing jewel that we needed to add to our collection.” Salyers’ slogan this year was “Commitment to excellence.” These words truly echo the team’s accomplishments.

The girls won the MHSAA Regional and KLAA Lakes Conference Meets, while also winning a division championship, tying with Brighton and Pinckney. The squad then headed to Michigan International Speedway on Nov. 5 for the MHSAA Girls Cross Country state meet.

The Mavericks knew it was going to be a tough battle going into the race, but they were willing to give it their all to capture the victory and bring home the trophy for the girls for the first time.

“[I] thought we were the best team going into the race,” said Salyers, who is confident in all of his runners. He knows that they could do this if, “each runner does her specific job and counts on everyone else to do her own.”

Before the race, the runners were nervous.

“But also excited for my last race as part of this team,” said senior runner Mallory Barret, who had been struggling this year, but is known to perform big in big situations. There was little doubt you could expect a great race from her in probably the biggest race of her high school career.

“We knew that we were one of the four teams who had the potential to win, but we also knew it certainly wasn’t going to be easy,” added Barrett.

As soon as the gun went off to start the race, you could feel the anxiety going through the fans as the runners, bolted out, full of adrenaline. It was now their time to shine. With five kilometers ahead, many things can happen during a race. 

“It’s hard to tell if we looked good during the race,” said assistant coach Elizabeth Smith, who has been alongside Salyers for many years. “I thought we were running well, but didn’t know if it was going to be enough.”

The girls were skeptical as the race continued.

“It’s impossible to figure out how we’re doing during the race,” said senior Mallory Barrett. “There are so many people running, and the only teammate I saw was Victoria. I knew that the two of us were right around where we wanted to be and we just had to trust that our teammates were doing their jobs.”

And that they were.

Overall, Barrett finished 9th (18:16.5) and Heligenthal placed 14th (18:26.6). Also stepping up big was sophomore Natalie Black, who ran a personal best, 19:32.1, coming in 62nd (4th for Milford). Junior Nicole Grindling 45th (3rd), junior Reagan Lobodzinski 84th (5th, and who suffered a broken foot during the race), and senior Rachel O’Rourke ran well for Milford.

“You can’t say that just one person made a big contribution,” said Smith. “Everyone was pushing (themselves) to their best.”  

It was a tough race for the Mavericks, but it felt so good when it was over and they learned they had won.

“Incredible.” exclaimed Barrett. “We have been working towards this for such a long time. When it actually happened it was unreal.”

The hard work paid off and was all worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime feeling.

“It’s like we broke down a barrier,” added Smith. The preparation and belief to win carried them onto the stage to accept the greatest trophy that every high school athlete dreams of holding. Now, they get to say that they have accomplished that goal.

“It was amazing to watch,” said senior Kate Gillingham, who is on the team but did not run in the race. “It was a day I’ll never forget. To see their hard work pay off in the biggest reward –  the state title – was breathtaking.

These girls celebrated their victory with the traditional picture taking on the Michigan International Speedway. 

“You can never go back to that exact moment in time and relive that feeling,” Salyers said.

The team ended up taking over 500 pictures at the track. Once that was over, the girls headed over to a local park, where it’s custom that they eat and celebrate their accomplishments.  Later, the team headed back to the high school for a tradition that will never be replaced.  

“A tradition that we’ve done here,” added Smith, “is we open up the pools to the team and the fan bus to celebrate when we win States.” It seems like Milford knows how to celebrate a victory.

This was a milestone year for the cross country team. They accomplished their goal from day one, but it wasn’t given to them, they earned it.

“All the hard work you put in..it’s worth it in the end,” stressed Barrett who ran the best race of her senior year. This is a game where you have to prepare both mentally and physically and that’s what is so hard about this sport that some overlook.

Both Salyers and Smith knew this team had potential, and that they could do great things if they all came together. “You have to aspire to be your best,” said Salyers. “That’s what I told my runners, believe you’re the best and good things will happen.”

The Milford girls cross country team is no longer in the shadow of the boys team, who had won five state championships. They are now role models for all other athletes in the building. They set a good example of how the best things are not handed to you.

Everything is earned and they showed that every day after school when groups of girls could be seen running throughout the community.

“We witnessed the hard work everyday; it’s no surprise that you are the best in the state,” exclaimed assistant football coach Spenser Adams, who would see things girls working hard during Milford football practices.

¨If we continue to work hard as we did this year,” said Heligenthal, ¨and keep setting great goals that we will accomplish a lot more. We have to stay hungry.” The future looks bright for the underclassman who want to have a similar experience as this year’s team.

Without a doubt, we will be talking about this group of girls for a long time. It could not be said more perfectly by coach Salyers, this team will be remembered as, “The best Milford team ever.”