The cross country team competed at the 2020 state meet in Roundrock, Texas, on November 24. The boys team scored second place (click for full results) and soph. Abigail Bass placed fifth.
The boys team actually tied for first place but ended up losing the tiebreaker and earned runner-up instead.

“Although we still got second, which is amazing, our team wanted to go in there and win the entire race and to lose by one point is really heartbreaking,” freshman Logan Tauch said.
The boys were very close to winning the state title; however, San Elizario was slightly ahead.

“The team performed extremely well at the state meet,” senior Judson Greer said. “We placed second in the state of Texas for 4A. In fact, we actually tied for first place. When this happens, the winner is determined by the teams’ sixth runner. Unfortunately, San Elizario’s 6th man was a bit ahead of ours, but it was still a solid performance. We did have our eyes on the state title, so to come just short of that was hard, but a second place finish is still incredible, and it is the best the Melissa boys cross country team has ever performed at state.”

On the girls side, Bass ran a good race with a time of 11:50, finishing off the season on a high note.

The state meet is what the team has been working towards all season and have spent much of their time practicing and preparing.

“To prepare for state I continued to put in consistent hard work,” Greer said. “I did a few key workouts to specifically help me prepare, and overall did a little less volume than normal to help my legs be fresh for the meet.”

The runners were happy with their performance at state and their overall successful season.

“This season was amazing being able to be a part of one of the best XC teams ever in Melissa was a great learning experience,” Tauch said. “Although we did fall short of our goal, I know we are all very proud of how we did.”

The athletes will now transition into the upcoming track season and get ready to run long distance around the track.

“To transition to track, I first took a short break from running, then began with some easy runs again,” Greer said. “Over a week or two, I will build back up to a similar volume and intensity that I would normally be at. This will give my legs and mind a bit of a ‘break’ before heading into a hopefully successful track season. I am looking forward to seeing Melissa perform well this coming track season.”