The Mavericks charged onto their home cross country course on Saturday morning, September 30. Seniors Sophia Maeda and Justin McDaniel got first place in each of their races at the 2017 Mead Stampede. The boys’ team placed first, scoring 42 points. The girls’ team reached the podium as well, placing third with 81 points.

The girls’ race began at 8:30, when the temperature had yet to reach 50 degrees on the foggy morning. Dew covered the grass, and sections of the course were muddy. None of this stopped Maeda from being the first runner to cross the finish line that morning. She and a runner from Longmont High School were neck-and-neck down the final 300 meters of the track, but Maeda prevailed and stayed on top until the finish. Winning the home meet was a special moment for Maeda. “It feels pretty darn awesome.” she said. “I was a little worried I wasn’t gonna do that for a second.”

Other finishers in the top 30 for Mead’s girls’ team include Kaitlynn Salazar in 13th, Eva Maeda in 19th, and Sydney Postle in 21st. The top finishers for the boys’ team include Hayden Debuse in 5th, Isaac Dukes in 7th, Jack Weis in 13th, and Andrew Williams in 16th.

Everyone had their own opinion on the cool, humid weather. “I run a lot better in cooler weather,” junior Maeve Debuse said. Her brother Hayden Debuse said otherwise. “You get tight in the cold. You can’t run as well,” he said. McDaniel was not a huge fan of the weather either. “I don’t think this [weather] is good,” he said before the race. He said that the humidity slows him down and makes it difficult, especially since he is used to running in dry weather.

Despite not preferring the humidity, McDaniel ran well. He not only set a new personal record, but broke the school record that he set only a week prior at the Loveland Invitational by 18 seconds. “Dude, that was good,” McDaniel said between breaths after crossing the finish line in first place.

The coaches had their hands full with running the meet, which included coordinating the course set up with the Mead runners. “It’s hard to control a bunch of teenage people,” Maeve Debuse said. “[The coaches] got really frustrated with us because we weren’t listening.”  Assistant Coach Steve “Chalupa Batman” Parsons said, “It’s also a lot of fun. I would say I don’t want to focus on the stress.”

The Mead Mavericks are making their way toward regional and state meets, taking them one race at a time. The next meet will be held at Holy Family High School on Tuesday, October 10th.