by Brett Hoffman
This past Saturday, senior Michael Passmore ran in the Indiana State Championship in Terre Haute. He was the only Mooresville cross country runner to advance to state.
“I took it easy the week before the race and got mentally prepared,” Passmore said. “I also ate a ton of carbs.”
This was Passmore’s second time running at state for cross country, and he was ready to show his competitors how much he had improved. Passmore was in between the fortieth and fiftieth at the 4k mark, and finished in seventeenth place, passing nearly half of his fellow runners in 1000 meters. Passmore also finished as the eleventh fastest senior in the race, which gave him a spot on the Indiana All Star Cross Country team. He will be running in Kettering Ohio with the other All Stars from Ohio, Michigan and Illinois on Nov. 17.
“I got a PR (personal record) at the most important race of the season,” Passmore said. “I am very happy.”
The MHS team came out to support Passmore, wearing costumes, painting his name on their stomachs and dyeing their hair blue and gold. The bus was also painted for Passmore with words of encouragement.
“I feel like he had a very successful race,” math teacher Clint Swalls said. “Even though he didn’t finish first, he had a race plan that he carried out.”
Passmore will be leaving the school on a positive note, having set the school record in his senior year of cross country. Be sure to congratulate Passmore on his incredible performance this season.
