Cross country runner Alexis Kintzele started off her senior season strong with a top 10 finish at the Northwood Invite on Saturday August 29th.

Alexis joined the cross country team at the start of her junior year. Even though she was an inexperienced runner, she managed to blow Coach McCarthy’s expectations out of the water. Last year, Alexis placed third in the South Bend City meet and she made a great run in the state series, placing sixth at sectionals. In the postseason, she was awarded a place on the NIC 2nd team All-Conference and MVP on the Saint Joe girls cross country team. Alexis earned this highly coveted Coach McCarthy award by being the runner who was the first to finish out of the Saint Joe girls cross country runners. This past weekend, Alexis Kintzele pulled out a great performance to start off her senior season. Alexis ran her 5K race in 22 minutes and 4 seconds at Stauffer Park. A course that featured running up and down a steep hill in the middle and at the end of the race. At this Northwood Invite, Alexis placed ninth in a pool of over 70 well-trained competitors.

Alexis’s road to success in cross country began with McCarthy relentlessly emailing her throughout her freshman and sophomore years. She originally joined last fall in order to stay in shape for her spring tennis season. This original goal of fitness soon morphed into a goal towards success in cross country running. As a senior, Alexis is striving to place highly in the South Bend City Meet and to make it to Semi-State in the state series, which she missed last year by one spot. Being a senior, Alexis stated that she felt more pressure to be a good role model than she did last year. She is striving to spend her senior year setting an example for new and experienced runners alike through her work ethic and race performances.

Come out and support your cross country senior Alexis Kintzele at the South Bend City Meet on September 2nd at Erskine Park and stay tuned for our next cross country senior spotlight featuring Maeve Kearney!