Senior Isaiah McGaffey placed 58th with a time of 16:59 at the Cross Country Running Boys & Girls State meet was on Saturday, Nov 4.
“I just had to run my own race and do what I normally do,” said McGaffey. “It felt more relaxing than Sections.”
The meet took place at the University of Minnesota at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul.
“He is a marvelous runner who has tremendous drive and he refused to be denied a place at the state meet,” said Jim Haney, head coach of the Cross Country team.
On October 26 the Albert Lea High School Cross Country team hosted their section meet at Bancroft Bay. It was a rainy day, McGaffey placed 11th at the section meet and secured a place at state.
“Coach talked to me before the meet, saying like who these people were that I needed to beat, so I had that in mind,” McGaffey said of his chances of winning a spot at the state tournament.
McGaffey has been running for four years but he didn’t start out that way. Originally, he played football but during COVID he tried Cross Country. It was after numerous recruiting attempts by Haney before he officially switched fall sports for good and it has clearly paid off.
“Isaiah has demonstrated extraordinary dedication, perseverance, and sportsmanship throughout the season, and this is a well-deserved honor for him,” said Activities Director Dave Langerud.
According to the coaching staff, McGaffey was able to pass 28 runners in the last mile. He paced himself well during the early portions of the race and then used his tremendous kick at the end to pass many runners.
“He has had a great career in Cross Country,” said Haney. “He will be missed as he graduates.”