Baker Girls’ Cross Country Team captures region title
- Shanda Crosby
- Nov 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 3
The Baker Girls’ Cross Country Team wrapped up a standout season this fall, surprising just about everyone – except maybe their coach – by capturing the Area 6 Region title and finishing eighth in the state.
The season started with much attention on the Baker boys’ team after their top 10 finish at state last year. But Coach Rob Hill had a feeling something special was brewing with his girls’ team.
“At the start of the season, we were all talking about the Baker boys, and rightfully so,” he said. “But I told anyone who would listen that we needed to watch out for this girls’ team because they were looking really good in our early practices.”
Good call, Coach Hill.
The Baker girls earned respect early by winning the Mason County Invitational and taking down a strong Highlands team that would later finish top five at state.
After that, the team of 6th graders and younger placed formidably in the Berea Community Invitational’s middle school division (grade 6-8).
“It was at this point in the season that I began to look at results from some of the other meets to see how we stack up against teams at the state level,” Hill said. “I told the girls that, at this point in the season, based on the data that we have, they were one of the best teams in the state. They seemed genuinely surprised to hear that, but it also motivated them to work even harder.”
With Fayette County hosting this year’s Area 6 region meet, the race format was altered a bit. The 5th graders and under ran as one group, while 6th–8th graders competed in another. That meant Baker’s regional team consisted of Kate Chamberlain (5th), Tessa Schorck (5th), Reese Hudson (5th), Caitlyn Crago (5th), and fourth graders Sarina Jones and Brianna Noe.
“Going into region I knew we had a good shot to place in the top three," Hill said. I did not expect us to win, but I knew we had an outside chance."
What followed was one of those races every coach dreams about.
“At every meet, Kate, Tessa, and Sarina were always the top 3 finishers for our team. However, we never knew which one of them would be the first to finish at any given meet,” Hill said. “I talked to the girls prior to the race and told those three, ‘I don't know which of you three are going to be feeling it today, but one of you is going to pull away. If we want to have a chance to win, I better see the other two of you fighting to hang with the one who gets out in front.’ They did exactly that and ran as a pack, finishing 3rd, 4th, and 5th and all three received top 10 medals.”
Hudson came in close behind in 12th, while Crago and Noe each turned in their best performances of the year.
The result: Baker brought the region championship to Clark County.
“It was an all-around great team win, with each person contributing,” Hill said.
At the state meet, known as the KTCCCA Meet of Champions, Baker’s roster grew to include sixth graders Saydee Stakelin, Briley Gillespie, Kylie Ferguson, and Rebecca Baltazar, joining Chamberlain, Schorck, Jones, and Crago.
They ended up finishing eighth out of 21 teams with Chamberlain and Schorck earning medals for placing in the top 50.
“I'm proud of our girls for how hard they competed at state,” Hill said. “It took each one of them running as hard as they've run all season for them to place as well as they did. I'm excited for next year, as we have a great core group returning and will likely enter the season as one of the best 3-5 teams in the state.”
Even with the medals and milestones, Coach Hill said the team’s success comes down to one simple thing — teamwork.
“This particular girls’ team had an excellent team dynamic,” Hill said. “They had healthy competition, always battling against each other in practices and meets, and pushing each other to get better. But at the end of the day, they were all about the team and wanting to win together.”
The entire cross country program is growing and Hill is happy to be a part. “I'm so proud of all of our runners as they have all improved immensely this season and made Clark County proud,” he said.
Hill commends Clark County’s tradition of cross country success, crediting long-time coach Dodd Dixon for building a notable legacy.
“Coach Dixon has built a strong program here, with both individual and team state champions in the past,” he said. “I am excited to be able to continue building on the tradition of success here in Clark County, and thankful that I had such a great group to work with in my first year of coaching.”
This extends to the staff supporting Hill this season. “I've relied heavily on Scott Crago, Stormy Wesley, Jas Smith, and Mike Chamberlain to ensure we are designing workouts to get the best out of our kids and doing what has traditionally made Clark County cross country so successful,” he said, “Michael Coston and Shannon Ramey have also been huge helps with our teams this year, particularly the elementary.”
With a successful season in the books, Coach Hill is already looking to next year, and hopes more young runners will join the fun.
“We’d love to welcome anyone kindergarten through 12th grade to come out and run with us next season,” Hill said. “Running cross country develops athleticism that transfers to every other sport by enhancing cardiovascular conditioning, building strength and power, improving coordination and foot speed, and developing discipline and mental toughness. Plus, the kids have tons of fun and really enjoy it!”
