Faust finishes fantastic cross country career

Grafton High School senior Callie Faust said she didn’t quite reach her goal at Saturday’s Division 2 state cross country meet in Wisconsin Rapids.

That might be the only target she missed in her high school running career, and just qualifying for her fourth straight state meet took a gold-medal effort.

Faust broke her foot at the end of track season last spring and had surgery. She couldn’t run until recently, and didn’t race three miles until Oct. 18 in the North Shore Conference Meet.

One week later, Faust finished fifth in a sectional meet and punched her fourth ticket to state.

“I am definitely glad I got the chance to run this season. Just those three races taught me so much. I have missed racing and really brought back the fun this year but running my final race at state was awesome,” Faust said.

She finished 50th in 20 minutes, 27.7 seconds at state. It was slower than last year, but then she was healthy.

Now, she enjoyed the experience.

“As hard as the course is, it holds so many memories along with the surrounding areas, so it was nice that I got to run there as my last race with so many supportive people around me. I was constantly hearing my name even through the huge crowds so it shows all the love and support that this sport brings,” Faust said.

“I didn’t reach my goal but it was a bit ambitious and more of a thought in the back of my head. I always strive to do better and so seeing the time was a bit hard but I am really proud with how far I came in such a small time and that I simply was able to round out my high school career.”

Coach Celia Shaughnessy was proud of her star.

“Callie showed incredible composure for her last meet of her high school career. It was with determination and mixed emotions that she stepped up to the start line for the fourth year in a row at state,” she said.

“Her hard work to recover all season and run with strength and focus showed on the course and with the results. She has created a standard of dedication and excellence for Grafton cross country.”

Faust has been running for years and has taken to the nature of the sport.

“What I like about running in general is being able to clear my head and move my body. You get to push your mind and body every day and that takes strength, but with support it makes it a lot easier,” she said. “After racing, you feel accomplished and get a wave of adrenaline that no other sport can really relate to.”

Catching that last wave was bittersweet on Saturday.

“After so much time and energy put into a sport, you realize how much you care about it. The coaches, team and community just make it so much harder to see these four years come to an end.”

But Faust is far from done. She will run track in spring – she holds school records in the 3,200-meters and 1,600-meter races.

Faust hopes to run in both sports at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina next year – she wanted someplace warm and likes the team and coaches - where she plans to study kinesiology and biology.

Jarmuz earns a medal

Grafton’s Austin Jarmuz reached his goal in the third straight state cross country race of his career.

The University School of Milwaukee junior took 10th at the Division 2 state cross country meet on Saturday, just high enough to have a medal placed around his neck.

Jarmuz finished in 16:10.5, five seconds faster than last year’s 12th-place finish. The top-10 places earn medals. Jarmuz was 12 seconds ahead of 11th place.

“The race went really well. I felt strong and focused on running my own race, and finishing top 10 at state was a goal I’ve been working toward all season, so I’m really proud to have achieved it,” he said.

“This season has been amazing overall. I’ve grown a lot as a runner and as a leader, and I’m so thankful for the support from my coaches and teammates who helped make it all possible.”

Jarmuz was 33rd as a freshman in 16:59.1.