For the first time in history, a girls cross country team from Monroe County qualified to compete at the state meet. The Stroudsburg girls cross country team earned that right by placing second at the district meet. Just the top two teams in the district qualify.

ai???I was confident we would make states from the start of the season, but only time would tell if I was being overly optimistic,ai??? said head coach Mr. Eric Foti. This is Fotiai??i??s first year as the head coach, after serving as an assistant for many years.

ai???My biggest surprise was the development of our 4th and 5th runners. I expected great things from them, but they made us into an incredible squad,ai??? said Foti. Allana Powlette, Michelle Joyce, Amy Conboy, Taylor Garrett, Lauren Bruckstein, Charlie Cimino, and Alexa Vaghenas made up the strong team.

Stroudsburg junior captain Allana Powlette shared her thoughts: ai???My motivation was for my team. I wanted to improve so we had the best opportunity to make states,ai??? said Powlette. ai???The biggest challenge this year was injuries because a lot of people got hurt and couldnai??i??t compete.ai???

Fellow junior captain Michelle Joyce also had confidence in her teammates.

ai???I think we knew we were a special team with a chance of going to states,ai??? Joyce said. ai???We bounced back and were able to reach all of our goals,ai??? Joyce said.

After qualifying for states the pressure was off,ai??? said Foti. ai???We recognized that the hard work was behind us. We got a few faster workouts in, and dropped the volume. Above all, we just enjoyed ourselves.ai??? he added.

The state meet took place in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The girls ran in the AAA race against 17 other teams and numerous individual qualifiers.They placed as the 13th team overall of 18 teams. In addition to the girls team, junior Teddy Mosteller and sophomore Matt Bodon qualified for states.

ai???After the first meet, I realized that we had what it took to make states.ai??? said Ms. Joelle Fair, assistant cross country coach.

Interestingly, Fair also coached the 2001, when the Stroudsburg boys team qualified for states. She is the only person to have coached for the only two teams from Monroe County to go to states.

ai???Both the 2001 boys team and the 2015 girls team both had self-discipline, a strong work ethic, a love for the sport, and a total commitment to the team.ai??? Fair said. The runners and coaches enjoy the sport and the team.

ai???The team is most enjoyable because of the runners. We do what we are supposed to and no one complains.ai??? Joyce said.

ai???I have been running since high school and being around students who share the love of that sport with you is the best feeling ever.ai??? Fair said.

ai???Iai??i??m blessed to have intrinsically motivated runners. Their drive comes from within.ai??? said Foti. Their determination and love for running has led them to their success.ai???