Important event brings together athletics and faith in a major gathering of Midwestern schools.
Notre Dame’s girls and boys cross country teams travel this weekend to Dayton, Ohio, for the 23rd annual Midwest Catholic Cross Country Championships (MCC), which will bring together more than 80 teams from five Midwest states. The Irish represent Michigan’s only entry in the competition.
“Our athletic department worked hard this summer to get this meet sanctioned for our program,” said Andy Guest, Notre Dame’s head cross country coach and interim school president. “We were looking for a premier event to showcase our athletes and to emphasize our Catholic identity, and the MCC was the perfect opportunity.”
The race was sanctioned this summer by the Michigan High School Athletic Association at the request of Notre Dame and host Carroll High School because the event is within 300 miles of the school. All of the teams are in states contiguous to Ohio and within 300 miles of the Indiana border, which is a requirement by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
John Agnew, who is the MCC meet director, said he is looking forward to the 23rd annual All Catholic event.
“We are anticipating very exciting and competitive races on Saturday,” he said. “There will be 22 girls teams and 22 boys teams from five states competing for the title of Midwest Catholic Champions. This will be the first time that Michigan is represented, as Notre Dame will be competing in both boys and girls championship races.”
The meet began in 1994 as the All Ohio Catholic Championships and was expanded in 2010 to become the Midwest Catholic Championships (MCC) and invitations are now extended to all Catholic Schools within the 300 mile limits (due to IHSAA restrictions).
Lauren Neiheisel, a junior at Notre Dame and member of the cross country team, said she is excited to travel to Ohio for such an event. “We will have the opportunity to compete against athletes from all over the Midwest,” she said. “This is a great chance for our team to get some good racing in and at the same time meet athletes from other states.”
Notre Dame competed earlier this year in the Michigan Catholic Invitational at the St. Francis Retreat Center in Dewitt, Mich. The team traveled to the competition the night before and spent the evening in a private chapel service to reflect on team goals and how competition fits in with Christianity before ending the night with s’mores and a bonfire. The next day, senior and team captain, Brendan Fraser won the invitational with the second fastest time in meet history.
“It’s important for our school and for our program to not only focus on athletic development, but also spiritual development,” Guest said. “As a Catholic school, it’s our job to teach kids about our faith and how it intermingles with decisions in life. We are grateful for the opportunity to compete and intermingle with our Catholic brethren throughout the Midwest. We also are looking forward to the pasta dinner and social/dance for all the student-athletes before the competition.”
More on the meet: The events start on Friday, Sept. 23, with a course preview followed by a dinner and team social/dance, all at the meet site. A festival-like atmosphere on Saturday features music, an assortment of MCC apparel, concessions, races and an award ceremony. The race course includes trails through the woods, creek crossings, and a couple of short, challenging hills. All teams will compete together, but will be presented team and individual awards in two divisions based on school size.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.