Julia Donnelly and Logan Luttrell represented Washington High School at the MSHSAA Class 4 Cross Country Championships at Gans Creek in Columbia on Friday, November 4.
Donnelly, a senior, claimed all-state honors by finishing the girls race in second place in a time of 18:52.4.
Luttrell, a junior, placed 52nd in the boys race in a time of 17:22.5.
The top 25 finishers in each race claimed all-state medals.
Donnelly finished second in the Class 4 race behind Julia Ray of MICDS, who won in 18:14.7.
“I’m definitely very excited about how the race went. I felt horrible during it, but powered through,” Donnelly said. “I started out really fast. I felt like I had to find Julia Ray, so I had to go out fast. I slowed down a little after going out so fast, but I knew what I was doing and I knew that I had it. I wanted first place, but I’m happy. It’s a good way to end my season.
“My time was slower this year than it was last year at state. I don’t want to make excuses, but I’m going to blame the wind a little bit. And I’m better at racing in the morning. I think I would’ve done better in the morning. Either way, it was a great race. A good way to end my season and my cross country career.”
“We’re always happy when a kid is on the podium, but when you step back and realize this was week 12 on Julia’s training coming off a stress fracture. She didn’t take a step from March until the second week of July and still ended up No. 2. In her mind, that just means she was four weeks away from being the state champion,” said Washington Cross Country Coach Mike Olszowka. “She’s a warrior. We’re always happy on where she finishes, but we always know that if it comes down to a fight, she’s going to win it.
“She got a little too quick in the beginning, but her game plan was to be a state champion, so she went after (Ray). She got pushed back to fifth at the one-mile mark. One thing we have in Washington is a lot of hills. As soon as she hit those hills in the second mile, she took off when everyone else started to falter. She put herself in position where nobody could touch her.”
Luttrell, now a two-time state qualifier, improved his performance from last year’s state meet, going from 88th place to 52nd place.
“It’s deceiving time wise, even for Julia. I think the course was about 30 to 40 seconds slow. The footing was soft. It was super windy. Logan went from 88th last year to 52nd this year. The maturity that kid has shown over the last year says the most about him. He had a big summer. He’s figuring out what it means to train,” Olszowka said. “Logan had 9 or 10 of his buddies drive up here today to watch him. All of a sudden, they realized what he does. It gives credibility to what he does every day. Things like that will keep him going during the offseason, knowing that what he does is appreciated and respected. He ran great from beginning to end. He also got out a little bit too ambitiously in the beginning, but I think he put his name on the map. A lot of colleges are going to start talking to him. He’s a good looking runner who’s going to keep getting better as he buys into the system.
“Getting him on the podium next year is definitely a goal. I think a top 10 or 15 finish is not out of the question. One thing he’s got is a lot of speed. As he builds on miles, it’s going to pay big dividends setting up for the state championships next year.”
Donnelly, a four-time state qualifier in cross country, is now a two-time state medalist after placing fourth last year. She’s also a two-time state medalist in wrestling and will look for her third state medal this winter.
“Cross country is a great sport. I love it. It means a lot to me. I’ve been doing it since fourth grade when I was in a running club. It’s a great community to be involved in,” said Donnelly, who hasn’t decided which sport (running or wrestling) she’ll pursue in college.
“I don’t know yet. I love them both, but I don’t know if I want to do both in college because that’s two full-time jobs,” she said. “It’s a really hard decision, especially for two sports that I love so much. We’ll see. I’m ready for wrestling. I’m not ready to cut weight, but I’m ready for wrestling season.”
Donnelly will no doubt be heard from again this school year during the wrestling season this winter and the track and field season in the spring.
“Two top five finishes at state cross country, she’s one of three or four girls we’ve had that’s ever done it. If you go across the state, there’s not too many girls who have done that,” Olszowka said. “The thing you get out of Julia is someone who wants to win. All of our coaches tell the kids that we want them to win. You don’t win by going half speed. If you want to be a champion, you have to be a champion in the classroom, at practice, in the wrestling room, in physical education class. You always have to be a champion. That’s how Julia approaches things. She’s a winner.”
Photos of Donnelly and Luttrell at the state cross country meet are below.
