On Saturday, Oct. 4, Princess Anne’s Cross Country Team traveled down to Cary, North Carolina, to compete in the 2025 Great American XC Festival, a largely attended invitational with over 5,000 runners competing. Both the girls and boys Cross Country Teams made the trip south to participate.
According to FlashResults.com, both the PA girls and boys teams were placed in races based on their performances during the 2024 season, and PA competed in the Girls Blue 5k and Boys Blue 5k, respectively.
Led by Coach Kevin Rhue, the team had yet to race 5,000 meters this season, so the invitational provided an exciting new challenge for the team. “I wanted our athletes to run free without the burden of expectations. They were loose and excited, probably a little nervous as anyone would be in a race with so many people on the starting line,” Rhue remarked.
This year’s senior leadership played a significant role in the team’s success. Haen, a captain for the girls, and senior John Phillips, the boys’ Captain, have had a significantly positive impact on the culture and the attitude of the team. “Caroline and John are great at directing the pre-practice and meets. They have really positive attitudes. Their teammates follow them,” Rhue said.
The PA boys placed 47th as a team, and sophomore Michael Nigbur placed the highest overall at 112th. The girls team, however, placed 16th, an extremely high placing in a competitive race.
Senior captain Caroline Haen ended the race in 17th place, out of around 400 other athletes, earning a medal for her personal performance. Haen set a personal best for herself, running a 19:14.2 minute 5k, or 3.1 miles, across the Wake Med Soccer Park Course in Cary.
She credited the competitiveness of the meet and the energy from her team to the successful start and finish to the race, “I was actually feeling pretty calm. I wasn’t really that nervous, which is kind of rare for me.” Although the entire weekend was a highlight of the season, Rhue mentioned that seeing Caroline earn a medal for her performance was his favorite memory of the race.
Following the success of winning her first-ever medal in Cross Country, Haen was named the 13 News Now Athlete of the Week. “I definitely wasn’t expecting it. It was a huge honor for me, and I’m really proud they came out and interviewed me.”
As for the team as a whole, Rhue added, “I was happy for those who ran well. For those who didn’t run as well as they hoped, it was a good reminder that it was a long season and all of us will be better at the end of the season than we were at this point in time.”
The whole team enjoyed the weekend trip at a hotel, bonding by playing card games in their hotel and taking a shopping trip to Target. Rhue said the race and the trip were so special because it was the only overnight trip the team had taken during the season.
With only four seniors, the team features many underclassmen, who will be ready to take charge next year after learning under Haen and Phillips.
