SAN DIEGO — Taylor Ewert had one goal prior to her last cross country race of 2018.
”My expectation heading into the race was finishing the season on a good note,” she said.
How about a great note?
The Beavercreek High School junior finished fourth in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships National Finals, Dec. 8 in San Diego, which featured the best of the best from coast to coast on one of the most challenging courses.
“I did really well,” Ewert said by phone from San Diego after posting a time of 17:20.1. “I ran a pretty good time. It wasn’t my fastest time. The course is really hilly. For this kind of race, that was a good time.”
The lineup reads like a Who’s Who of high school cross country. Champions among champions.
“This race is like the top race,” Ewert said. “They only bring in the best. It’s just really exciting.”
It’s rare when she doesn’t win a race. Ewert was undefeated in the regular season and was a top-five finisher in every post-season race including second at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships Midwest Regional, which qualified her for the San Diego race. She also won the the Ohio high school Division I district, regional and state championships.
But Ewert wasn’t overly concerned about finishing 20 seconds behind Sydney Masciarelli of Massachusetts, who won in 17:00.2.
“I’ve had an amazing season,” she said. “I’m just really excited to see what track holds.”
No doubt going up against the best the country has to offer will help Ewert in track and next season as well.
“It was a great experience,” she said. “Sometimes in Ohio there’s not a lot of girls to race. It’s good practice not only for high school but for college. It gives me a lot of confidence going into my senior year. It was really cool to be able to come out here to San Diego.”
