As if social distancing and smaller meets weren’t enough changes for this year’s cross country season, the WIAA recently announced that Shorewood will be competing at the Division 1 level this year. This did not affect the teams’ regular season, but it will change their roads to state completely.

Even knowing that COVID would likely force changes on the postseason, the announcement that Shorewood would be competing in D1 this year came as a complete surprise.

“We thought that sectionals would be rearranged by the division you were supposed to be in, but every coach across the state, regardless of what division that you’re in, were just totally taken back by the sudden change,” said Dominic Newman, boys cross country head coach.

The decision to rearrange the divisions for the 2020 cross country season came after numerous schools deferred their season to the spring because of COVID concerns. 

“A lot of Division 1 schools in the grand scheme of things throughout the state deferred to that spring option for cross country,” said Geoffrey Gundlach, girls cross country head coach. “…predominantly the ones that [withdrew] were these larger school districts.”

The Shorewood team decided not to defer their season. 

“We didn’t want that as a coaching staff,” Gundlach said. “I think as you talk to the girls, too, their level of commitment and after missing out on track, they were ready to go. And I don’t think from a community standpoint there was ever a push for it to be delayed to the spring.… It was just, if we can have this, we want to have it now and give that option because there was no sure option for the spring either, and we still don’t know if that’s going to be any different.”

After teams dropped out, the WIAA decided to keep the relative number of teams between each division the same as in previous seasons. This meant that a few D2 schools were moved up to D1. Shorewood, with an enrollment size of 668, will be competing against schools with over 2,000 students. The placement was less than ideal in the eyes of the team, but it’s what the WIAA deemed the best course of action. 

“They tried to make it as equitable as they can, if you go by enrollment, this is what they had to do,” Gundlach said. “And it’s just kind of unfortunate that maybe we were included in that.”

For both teams, this news came as a shock and brought along feelings of disappointment and frustration. But, as they’ve had time to consider their predicament, neither team is hung up on it. 

“I don’t think anyone is really that frustrated anymore,” said Zane Bannink, senior. “It’s not like at practice … we’re all pouting and upset about it like, ‘Aw, this sucks’ each day. I’d say that was kind of the initial reaction but then we just took it for what it is.”

The sudden change in the postseason means that both teams will have to come up with different goals. Heading into the season, the girls team, who are reigning state champions and have retained six of their top seven runners from last year, were hoping to defend their state title. 

“Had we been competing [in] D2 this year, we would have hoped to go back into it and win sectionals again and make it onto state and then defend our state championship and win again,” said Annika Elliott, junior. “That would have been amazing to do two years in a row. It would never have been done for [Shorewood] girls cross country because we won state for the first time ever in school history last year, so it would have been really cool to carry that through this year because we still have the talent and ability to do so.”

This year, the team won’t be a shoo-in for state like they would have been if they were competing in D2. 

“It’s going to be a tough road,” Gundlach said. “If we look at our sectional, we have to get through Whitefish Bay and Muskego, and those are probably two of the top seven teams in the state. And our sectional is going to be four teams, and only two teams make it, so there’s going to be a really good team going home.”

Despite having to compete against significantly larger schools this year, the girls still believe they have a chance to make it to state and place well. 

“I think that our team is capable of doing amazing things,” Elliott said. “I think that we are faster than what we really think and that we’re capable of doing more than what is seen or what we hold ourselves to, but I think that we have a chance to score very highly at state, maybe even get on the podium if we really work hard enough, so that would be a good goal I think for the team.”

Further, the opportunity to race D1 might actually be a good thing for them.

“This is the group to be able to start to embrace that challenge and to be able to do that,” Gundlach said. “Because honestly, this group doesn’t have a lot left to prove at Division 2 cross country championships. Yeah, it’d be awesome to get there and win another state championship and have that be something that might be more readily attainable, but this is something that is pretty special given the circumstances, and it’s something that this community, this program, these girls might not ever face, or get the opportunity to do again.”

The boys team has also had to adjust their postseason expectations.

“On the boys side, we felt that we were a team that was in the hunt to podium this year at the state meet, I don’t know, win it, you know, top two or on the podium,” Newman said.

Instead of setting their sights directly on a state podium this year, the boys team is focusing more on the lead up to the final race.

“Qualifying for state has now become a bigger thing because a few weeks ago that wasn’t even a concern really,” Bannink said. “We pretty much were like, if we all run pretty well, we can qualify for state. But now I’d say the main focus is making it through the subsectional and sectional meet to just get a shot at running at state.”

Although the team has had to make some changes, Newton doesn’t seem too worried. 

“It’s looking like … this is one of the best Shorewood cross country teams I’ve had since we won state in … 2012,” Newman said. “We’re pretty strong. We’re going in with confidence.”

Despite running against much larger, and perhaps faster, schools, both the girls and boys teams will go into their postseason looking to compete.

“It makes me realize that I’m going to have to work a little bit harder in order to achieve some new goals that we’re going to have to set for ourselves,” Elliott said. “I think that it still leaves a lot of opportunities open.”

“Either way we go in as a team; we go in together. And I think either way the mentality is just do your best and trust the training that you put in and it’s going to pay off in the end…” Bannink said. “And no matter who you’re racing and what your rank is in that race or how you’re expected to place, the attitude is still just work your absolute hardest and if that’s not enough then that’s not enough, but that’s pretty much all you can do.”

Despite the end-of-season change, the runners are glad to have had a season.

“We’re still excited and we’re grateful for the season that we’ve had already,” Bannink said. “So regardless of the outcome, we’re extremely grateful for being able to have any type of season at all.”