Due to the absurdity of 2020, the Woodland cross county team had not participated in an NVL championship since 2019. This year, the boys team was able to race into first place, and the girls were able to take second place.
The boys and girls teams had the first place finishers in each race; seniors Colin Slavin and Chloe Poulos. The NVL championships were a new challenge this season for both Poulos and Slavin. Each runner had immensely strong seasons, placing first in each regular season meet. Despite this, neither wanted to overlook the NVL meet. The different atmosphere of all the teams being there provided a challenging test. It is safe to say that their decision not to overlook anything paid off, as both took crucial first place finishes.
Poulos was able to rise to the occasion at the meet, accomplishing something that she has had her sights set on for years.
“I was happy that I was able to get the individual win because it has been a goal of mine since I was a freshman,” said Poulos. “To finally be able to do that was really exciting.”
A reason for Poulos’s excitement is certainly because of all it took to get to that point.
“It took a lot of time and hard work that no one saw before I truly started to show the results in my racing,” said Poulos. “My freshman and sophomore years were a time of lots of hard work with no real results being shown, and I think mentally that was hard to continue to stay strong and keep my goals in mind for the future.”
Poulos, more than anything, is proud of what she accomplished and what the team was able to achieve.
“I am proud of myself individually because I have been working so hard at this sport for so long,” Poulos said. “I am also very proud team-wise because I have seen the girls put in lots of work throughout the season and really improve which is so exciting to see.”
While Poulos placed first in the girls race, Slavin was also able to place first in the boys race. Despite his first place finish, Slavin was down on himself initially following the race.
“I was actually very disappointed with my time, and was upset right after the race ended,” claimed Slavin. “But then I talked to my parents, and they helped me realize that a win is a win.”
Something that Slavin was especially proud of though was what the team was able to do at the NVL championship. When top five runner Chase Young went down with an injury, the team continued to persevere.
“Once Chase went down, other runners had to step up for the team in order for us to win,” Slavin said. “When you see the team accomplish something like that, it’s really special.”
The natural talent that Poulos and Slavin have is undeniable. Both runners know that in order to achieve something they want, they have to work hard for it. The constant hard work that they maintained all season was a true testament to their character, and a main reason why they are running away with a 1st place finish.
