John Raffel
Sports Scene
It was hardly a shock that Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s girls cross country team won another Division 4 state final on Nov. 5 at Michigan International Speedway.
The suspense centered on how low of a score the Fighting Irish could post.
The 34 points the Irish earned was one of the lowest for girls in state history. Pewamo-Westphalia was a distant second with 116.
With the individual standings, the Irish had six all-state athletes in the top 30. Their seventh runner, Rowan Fitzpatrick, was 31st (20:28.0).
All-state athletes were junior Bailey McConnell (18:55.6) in second, senior Alexis McConnell (19:09.1) in fourth, sophomore Cammie McConnell (19:10.6) in fifth, sophomore Lauren MacDonald (19:41) in 11th; Scout Nelson (20:09.8) in 20th and freshman Desiree McConnell (20:14.10) in 25th.
The four McConnells are sisters.
For team placings, Bailey McConnell took second, Alexis third, Cammie McConnell fourth, MacDonald ninth, Nelson 16th, Desiree McConnell 18th and Rowan Fitzpatrick 21st.
“It was pretty breezy but also muddy, but I ran with my sisters,” Bailey said. “Compared to last year, it was a lot warmer and a lot better weather, so that was nice. It’s very nerve-racking when people have a lot of expectations on us.”
Cammie McConnell called her race, “the best I could do. It was a little uneven in places and I lost my footing. But it was a good race.”
All the notoriety the family is receiving, “is good, but it can be nerve racking at times because people expect more,” Cammie added.
For Alexis, it was the final race of a remarkable four-year career.
“34 points is incredible,” she said. “We’re all closer and we’ve all become so tight. To have seven girls in the top 31 is absolutely astounding. Everybody has been pushing each other all season.”
Alexis McConnell is planning to run at Cornerstone University.
“All of our team ran together and kept pushing each other,” Alexis said. “They were incredible.”
Desiree McConnell had the distinct status of being her team’s No. 6 runner but also an all-state athlete.
“It was a great race and I ran my best with the team,” she said. “Hopefully we can run it together as a team next year. It was very stressful and I was just trying to do my best.
“It was a good race,” Lauren MacDonald said. “I think the course was tough for everyone. We all pushed through and did our best.”
MacDonald concurred it was a unique experience running with the McConnell sisters.
“It’s a great thing and very encouraging,” she said. “They’re always there supporting you.”
Nelson agreed.
“In general, I was proud of my team,” Nelson said. “The sisters really came together. I haven’t been feeling that well. I’ve been sick and having some knee problems. My team stepped up, especially Lauren.”
Winning the state title again was twice as sweet for Nelson.
“I was happier last year with my time because I did better,” Nelson said. “I’m extremely proud of my teammates.”