Lady Devils State Public School Champions With Highest Finish Ever!!

KERNERSVILLE – Her mouth agape, her chest heaving and convulsing in the finisher’s chute from an effort that bordered on dangerous, Kylie Pond looked for anyone who could make sense of what had just happened. On a blustery, cold, wet course, Pond had just run a personal best of 43 seconds. When the sophomore finally found head coach Philip Latter along the chute’s fence, she exploded in tears.

Less than two minutes earlier, junior Shelby Hyatt, who had battled pneumonia since late September and suffered a panicked breathing episode that morning in the team’s hotel, and her freshman teammate Emma Pindur surged to the front of the chase pack en route to placing fourth (20:41) and sixth (20:50), respectively. Those finishes were the highest in the program’s history.

Not to be outdone, beleaguered freshman Lynsey Hicks (28^th – 21:41), who torn her ACL last fall, and junior Madison Travitz (39^th – 22:09), who ruptured her Achilles tendon last November and only returned to competition this September, ran spectacular races as the team’s number three and four runners.

In the end, those stellar performances led to a third place finish for the Lady Devils, the highest in school history.

“That was the most surreal experience I’ve ever had as a coach,” Latter said. “Everything had to go right for us to do what we did and it did. You look at what Shelby has gone through, right up through this morning. You look at what Madison has experienced this past year, what Lynsey has fought through. Then you balance it with feel good stories like Emma emerging from nowhere as a freshman, Kylie stepping it up to the next level, Jenna and Serina having huge breakthroughs. I mean, most people were sloshing around in the mud and Jenna goes out and runs a minute faster than she ever has in her entire life. It was just surreal.”

Community School of Davidson was crowned the 1A champion with a score of 68 points. Bishop McGuinness was second with 84. Swain County scored 91. Pine Lake Preparatory – who beat Swain by 1 point at the 1A West Regional – was fourth with 110 points, while Robbinsville rounded out the top 5 with 122 points.

“I’ve never cried at a cross country meet before but I cried today,” Latter said. “It was the most selfless, perfectly executed race I’ve ever seen. We’ve had such a roller coaster ride. To think that back in August, we finished dead last at a small meet in Jackson County. Now we’re third in the State. I think for everyone involved, this was one of the happiest days of our lives.

“It also raises the bar,” Latter continued. “It’s not just about being the top traditional public school or being the best school in the mountains. It’s about creating a culture of excellence, one where we have a ton of fun but also get incredible results.”

The girls’ team was not the only one to experience a successful day. Sophomore Parker Chatham, who made it as an individual qualifier, placed 22^nd overall in the boys’ race. Chatham entered the race seeded 54^th.

“He ran so incredibly well,” Latter said. “He ran smart. He ran aggressively. He was constantly testing his limits. He could hardly walk after the race. You talk about putting together the perfect race at the perfect time. He pretty much embodied that. He’d been training since June for this day, and it all came together.”

Latter hopes Chatham’s success also paves the way for the boys’ team to return to the level of success it enjoyed over a decade ago.

“Parker’s very talented, but he also works really hard and enjoys the work he’s putting in,” Latter said. “We have a group of motivated guys who just needed to see what it takes to succeed at that level. We also have a talented student body. Who knows, maybe Parker or the girls’ team just inspired the next great runner to consider the sport.”

For Chatham and the girls, Latter is certain of one thing.

“This is a day they’ll never forget,” he said. “This is the stuff you tell your grandkids. This is what life is all about.”