At the GHSA State Cross Country Championships in Carrollton, Georgia on Nov. 7, the Mount Pisgah boys and girls teams posted outstanding results. 

The top finisher at the state meet on the boys side was Ben Plunkett who placed eighth overall, earning a spot on the podium. His finish is the highest a Mount Pisgah runner has placed at state in 14 years. As a team, the varsity boys finished ninth overall, three places better than projected. 

The varsity girls team also had a historic meet with the girls placing third overall, which is the highest in Mount Pisgah cross country history. Individually, all five scorers for the Patriots finished in the top 50. 

From long runs to track workouts to hill sprints, the runners endured challenging practices throughout the season, but the impressive results were a culmination of a season worth of hard work. 

“Cross country showed me that hard work really pays off and can make a huge difference in performance,” said Plunkett.

In addition, the coaches were all an integral part of leading the team to success. 

“Coach Durrance has been an amazing coach, always checking on me during hard workouts and overall just being a good friend and one of my biggest cheerleaders,” said Abby Mutch.” “He always tells me that anything is possible if I put my mind to it and to not let the pain and mental war during a race dictate my outcome.”

With the current success of the team, it is exciting to see what the future holds for Mount Pisgah cross country.

“The future looks very bright for the cross country program with the addition of Coach Sinco and because underclassmen have already improved so much,” said Plunkett.