IESA 2024 cross country championships featured Roscoe and Stephen Mack Middle School runners

Normal, IL – Maxwell Park in Normal IL played host to the 2024 Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Boys and Girls Cross Country Championships last Saturday October 19, 2024. Roscoe Middle Schooler Haylie Simpson finished 5^th with a time of 12:08.20 in the 3A girls cross country race -  only about 40 seconds behind the winner.

The Roscoe Middle School girls team was also represented by 8^th grader Madison Delong. She finished with a time of 14:24.99, placing 179 out of 223 total runners in the girls 3A championship.

Stephen Mack Middle School had a couple of boys in the 3A 2024 Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Boys Cross Country Championship on Saturday, October 19, 2024, where 8^th grader James Nichele finished at 12:28.56 while 7^th grader Charlie Lueshen completed the race in 12:30.86.

Speaking with Haylie Simpson recently, I asked her a wide array of questions about her running career and why she runs. “I love to compete,”  said the 7^th grade Roscoe Middle School cross country runner and basketball player. When asked if she liked to run alone or with others, she mentioned she enjoys training with others. She says, “Running is tough and feels like you're dying but feels good when you finish.” During our conversation, Haylie mentioned her coaches and teammates for pushing her to be her best.

Haylie says that last weekend's course was “flat and did not loop out and back.” She began running about four years ago during the COVID shutdown. She says her friends think, “She is crazy to run but she loves to compete and push herself.”

Mr Tyler Lovgren is the Roscoe Middle School cross country coach and had this to say of Haylie and Madison: “Haylie and Madison are two of the most deserving athletes of positive praise that I have worked with. I think one of the hardest things about coaching kids at this level is that sometimes you can have a really hard working kid, that shows up with a great attitude, that does everything right, that deserves to be recognized, but never sees a high level of success outside of beating their personal best time here and there."

"It is such a beautiful and rewarding thing when all of those qualities are present in a kid, and they get to be successful at their sport. Because, you know they did everything right and deserve to be there. So, it has been truly great to see them both have the opportunity to compete at the IESA State Championship the last two years, and especially great to see Haylie accomplish her goal of a top 5 finish this year."

If Haylie wants to continue her athletic journey, Coach Lovgren sees potential: "Haylie is definitely on a different level from other middle schoolers I have coached, though. She is a hard worker, she is kind to her teammates and coaches, she is humble, and she happens to be an incredibly talented runner with a competitive drive that is unmatched."

“It doesn't matter if she is competing against 220 runners, or racing against her brother, Tyler, in practice," said  Coach Lovgren. “She is going to give it everything she has whenever she runs.”

If the name Simpson sounds familiar, it should: Haylie’s dad is the head girls basketball coach at Hononegah High School, her sister Kylie is a multi-sport athlete at Hononegah, and her brother Tyler is a decorated athlete as well, in numerous sports.

Thank you to Haylie Simpson for talking with me. Now she begins to prepare for her upcoming basketball season at Roscoe Middle School. Mr. Anthony Johnston and Olivia Hippman coach the Stephen Mack Middle School cross country teams.

A self-described sports evangelist, Harold Bone is the Rockton-Roscoe News sports editor who is committed to finding stories behind-the-box scores and discovering engaging sports content.Got a story idea? Contact Harold via email at harold@roscoenews.com and follow him on Twitter at @SPRTSEDRRNews.