'Is it real,' Aurora cross country fulfills dream, wins state title

OBETZ — Claire Jenkins stood alone on the state podium, as far as the Aurora girls were concerned, a year ago. The sophomore had company this year.Her twin sister, Evelyn, joined her. So did another Greenmen sophomore, Audrey Miller, as all three finished among the top 14 runners in Division II.Then the whole team joined to lift Portage County's first state championship trophy in cross country since 1998 — and the first in Aurora history."It definitely did not feel real at first when people started saying that we got first place and I just really never imagined this like one year ago, just being state champions," Evelyn Jenkins said. "When I finally came to the realization, I was just so proud of everyone. We definitely worked so hard just in the summer and just this entire season, so this was amazing."Nothing came easy.Not for Miller, who ran well ahead of the pack for much of the season but faced a tight top group in Obetz. She suavely handled the crowd, finishing fourth in 17:49.5, an absurd jump from her 40th-place time of 19:13.3 on that same course a year ago."I just knew at regionals I went out, I could feel it, I knew I went out way too hot," Miller said. "So I tried to slow down, and I was hoping that I'd have more in me for the back half of the race, kind of going up the hill."Nothing came easy for the Greenmen as a whole, who were locked in a back-and-forth battle with Bishop Watterson all race long. Throughout the race, the Greenmen and Eagles stood alone, well ahead of the rest of the competition. After a mile, Aurora led by a few points. After two miles, Watterson led by one.All told, the Greenmen won by 19 points, 80-99, over the Eagles. Claire Jenkins returned to the podium with a 12th-place time of 18:22.0. Evelyn Jenkins surged from 22nd midway though the race to 14th with a time of 18:28.2, more than 40 seconds faster than last year's state time."It's definitely so nice," Claire Jenkins said. "I love seeing my teammates up there and it's just like they work really hard as well."And then there was sophomore Mia Paech, who didn't even run cross country until the eighth grade, when Claire Jenkins coaxed her into giving it a try."When I first started this sport, if I'm going to be honest, the only reason I started, Claire told me our team had this thing," Paech said. "It was like every Friday there was a food party and that's the only reason I ever joined, and since that moment, I found out I was kind of good, and then ever since that, I kept going and just kept getting better, pushing myself."In her second year in the sport, Paech finished 130th at the 2025 state meet in 20:26.12. In her third year in the sport, Paech surged an absurd 90 places to 40th, crossing the line in 19:10.4."It's such a fun sport," Paech said. "Like I really love this sport and the team is amazing and it's a lot of fun."Two poised freshmen followed, in Makayla Cicero (59th, 19:25.2) and Audra Leigh (123rd, 20:10.9), with sophomore Haley Koch (139th, 20:18.3) running close behind."They're really good at just working from the back and just keep moving forward," Aurora coach Laura Bell said. "Like they don't get frazzled in the race. They might be a little nervous before the race, but when they get into the race, they're just locked in."Most of the crowd clustered toward the finish line after the race was over, hugging exhausted athletes and battling spotty service on their phones.Bell stood far away, at the same perch from which she took in the race, encouraging her runners and wondering if her season-long dreams of a title might come true. When the numbers came across her phone, the goosebumps came as well. Along with a simple question:"I'm like, is it real?"This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: 'Is it real,' Aurora cross country fulfills dream, wins state titleOur editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.