Windy Hager understands the strength to finish the race comes from within, yet she attributes
much of her motivation to South Brunswick cross country coach Brent Wuchae.
“He’s
very encouraging. He’s always telling us how proud he is,” the South Brunswick sophomore said. “I’m proud of where I finished but
he seems to be even more proud of me. He’s always been
encouraging.
That’s what makes him a great coach. He’s always motivated us;
he’s always out there helping us.”
Wuchae had much to be proud of during the state cross country championships at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons last Saturday.
Hager and teammate Josh Higgins enjoyed excellent performances going up against an experienced field of runners from every corner of the state.
Hager finished 36th out of 126 runners with her time of 21:32, while Higgins, a sophomore, finished 85th out of 127 runners with his time of 18:55. North Brunswick’s Oscar Hernandez carried the banner for the Scorpions’ program, finishing in 54th place with his time of 18:11 over the 3.1-mile course.
“I was extremely
tickled with both of them,” Wuchae said. “They’ve both come a long way. I’m very proud of their accomplishments this year.
Windy finishing in the top 25-percent
was just outstanding. That was a little higher than I thought she would, but she did well and Josh finishing 85th in the state, considering the boys had a
little stiffer competition.”
Hager said her experience at the state meet has given her
specific goals for next season, goals she feels are
within her grasp.
“You always think about next year;
you want to make it better,” she said. “That’s what gives me the drive.”
Wuchae said Hager and Higgins have attained the status of conquering heroes among their peers, a positive sign for the program’s growth in the seasons to come.
“The love it,” Wuchae said of the adulation.
“
It’s just overwhelming the support they’re getting here at South. We’re trying to build here and if we can get the exposure — these kids going up there and just seeing what it’s like this year — next year, they’ll know what the competition is going to be and
how hard they’re going to have to work to get to the next level.”
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