The day dawned clear but chilly at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock. Temperatures were beginning to warm when the 10 a.m. start time for Conference 3A girls came. 

The Mineola girls team and Madyson Pence of Quitman found the running tough Friday at the state cross country meet in Round Rock.

All saw their times grow from the regional meet at which they qualified for state.

Pence had the best showing from the Wood County contingent, placing 61st at 13:00.4. There were 151 runners in the field. Winning time was 11:34.

Olivia Hughes had the best finish for Mineola in 101st at 13:31.5.

Making it to state has been Pence’s goal since she started running as a freshman.

She describes the biggest meet she’s ever run in as a “very surreal moment.”

The sendoff was one of her favorite parts of the whole experience. “That’s when it finally hit me, this is it, I got here. One of my biggest dreams finally came true.”

Pence is appreciative of all of the love and support she received from the community, the messages received and “seeing the little kids at the elementary scream my name as we drove by.”

Quitman cross country coach Michael Scott describes Pence as a leader, that she “sets the pace for everybody and everybody feeds off of it.”

He emphasizes the hard work she puts in and her dedication, adding that one “can’t ask for a better kid.”

Pence reflected, “It took a long time to get here – three years – so it’s definitely a special moment and something I will be forever grateful for.”

Freshman strider Olivia Hughes thought it was “a little chilly outside, but it was really fun.”

Getting to run alongside her sister, senior Raquel Hughes, made the experience special.

“She always was by my side and we always get to run together in practices.”

Hughes thinks the hillier course at Old Settlers Park combined with the chillier weather contributed to times that were about a minute slower across the board compared to regional.

Shylah Kratzmeyer concurs, saying that the very slow inclines, back to back with very little flat areas contributed to the challenge.

Kratzmeyer ran as a freshman at state in 2019 and felt being able to know the course helped her this time, and she tried to compete against that performance.

Other Mineola places and times include the following:

Kratzmeyer, 108th, 13:35.3

Hannah Zoch, 113th, 13:39.8

Kapri Riley, 132nd, 14:15.3

Keilee Riley, 134th, 14:20.9

Riley Weekly, 140th, 14:33.5

Raquel Hughes, 145th, 14:54.