The Greene County girls’ cross-country team and their top runner went into Saturday’s State Cross-Country Meet rated among the top 15 teams and top five runners, respectively, but their performances still exceeded expectations. The team finished ninth among the 15 teams in 2A while senior Allison Higgins was third individually. The team wasn’t ranked at all until very late in the season and Higgins wasn’t ranked higher than eighth until last week. Her individual finish is the highest by a female or male at a State Cross-Country meet in the 32 years the sport has existed in Jefferson. The team finish equals the 1991 JSPC girls, who were ninth when the distance was two miles and there were three classes of teams instead of today’s 2.48 miles and four classes.

Head coach Kelly Simpson was asked to sum up the day. “It’s just amazing. They just performed well and wore the colors really well. The county ought to be very, very pleased with them. Allison got in the lead pack right from the git-go, which is where she need to be. Just an outstanding race on her part. The rest of the team really moved well, probably after the first K (kilometer), 1 1/2 K. They seemed to settle in and relax going up and down the hills, then started really eating up some people.”

With Higgins leading the way, Emily Christensen, Eme Johnson, Olivia Hansen, Jolee Wessling, Noelle Gray, and Kate Sandage, were the other Rams in the order of how they finished within the team.