Steward places in Top 50 at state
HEBRON — For Hillsboro junior De-Andre Steward, his inaugural race in the Division II State Cross-Country Championships was one of success with even more to work for next season.
Steward, the first HHS runner to reach the state race since 2011, finished in 48th place, accomplishing his goal of a Top 50 spot Saturday at the National Trail Raceway in Hebron.
The HHS junior finished with a time of 17:03.75 in the state event and was pleased with his final race of the 2013 season.
"It was a bit competitive out there," Steward said following the race. "There were a lot of good runners, so this was a pretty tough race. The course was flat, so that helped a lot. I feel like I did my best."
Steward continued to talk about being able to race against the best runners the state had to offer.
"It was good because I kept my pace fast," he said. "It kept me racing strong the entire time. This experience gives me more motivation to come back here next year and do better.
"I'm really glad I was able to make it into the Top 50."
After the first mile of the race, Steward was 75th overall, then moved to 63rd place at the second mile marker. In the final mile of the event, Steward moved up 15 more spots.
[[In-content Ad]]
At the Division III Regionals this year, Steward was 10th with a time of 17:00.72, and in districts, he was eighth at 17:22. Steward was also the South Central Ohio League champion.
HHS coach Tracy Ramsey spoke about Steward's state race.
"He was focused all day, pretty relaxed and didn't seem nervous at all," Ramsey said. "He came out ready to run and made his goal. He ran a great race, and it is exciting.
"De-Andre had an awesome season. Being the first time here, it was awesome to see and couldn't have happened to a better kid."
Ramsey is excited for next season to see how much more Steward can accomplish.
"We've already been talking about next season and getting more kids out next year," she said, "We're getting the idea of the team solidified and getting everyone working together.
"De-Andre has a bright future ahead of him for next season and will put in the work to return here."