St. Michael Girls’ CC team are the 2012 4A State Champions!
On Nov. 13, 2012 in Natchitoches, the SMHS girls’ CC team proved once again that it doesn’t matter how we finish in any race other than the La. State Championships. Not winning a single regular season race but always fighting for a top 5 finish against the more talented 5A teams in La., the girls from SMHS CC understood that the regular season is just training for the big race. Employing a new racing strategy which kept our starting 7 girls close to our main competitor St. Thomas More through 2 miles, we were able to close out the last 800m with a frenzy. Setting career PRs while winning the championship were Haley Gregoire, Allie Stone, Gabby Rincon, Hannah Gregoire, Carly Varnado, Sarah Wilson and Maci Rome. Haley and Allie finished 4th and 6th, , respectively, at the state meet and were named 2012 La. All State CC Athletes in 4A. These exceptional athletes were eventually also named to the 2012 EBR All Metro CC team, a most prestigious honor. These same 2 girls have moved into a tie for 5th place on the all-time SMHS 3 mile record book at 19:53 at Highland Rd. course. This year’s championship team adds to our 8 La. CC State Champion teams in the last 12 years. There were also 2 State Runner-Ups during that stretch. The girls other highlights this year were finishes as Runner Up at the 2012 SMHS Bayou Boogie meet and 3rd place at the 2012 EBR Metro meet. The girls finished ranked as 9th among all 5A, 4A and 3A CC teams in La. for 2012. The competition between St. Thomas More, Benton and new player Vanderbilt Catholic girls has become a great high school CC battle in La. We look forward to future challenges.