On Saturday, November 4th, John Burroughs student Kylie Goldfarb ‘21 won the cross country state title, placing first as a freshman.

Though she was backed by many friends and family members throughout her journey to the state meet, Goldfarb truly dug deep within herself and was able to soar to new heights on the way to the championship. Though her PR was set previously in districts at 18 minutes and 41 seconds, she flew through the state course, finishing in nineteen minutes flat. Finishing ahead of runner up, Mercedes Schroer of O’Fallon’s Christian High School by 29 seconds, she truly made her mark at the state competition.

When asked about her final push to success, Goldfarb says, “My coaches and teammates definitely helped me throughout the whole season and supported me.”

During the long process of training and preparing for state, Goldfarb remained level-headed and seemed to make running a 5k in less than twenty minutes an almost achievable feat for the rest of us. Her persistence and hard work undoubtedly paid off when she came in first.

She explains, “It felt amazing, and I definitely did not expect it. Even when I crossed the finish line, it hadn’t really hit me that I had won. But overall, I was very excited and happy.”

Goldfarb inspires so many of those around her, as she is known among the freshmen class as one of the most sincere, passionate students on campus, and can almost always be seen with a glowing smile shining across her face. Her close friends, though, know that, beneath the happy exterior, she’s one feisty competitor.

Following her win at state, Goldfarb says, “I don’t feel very different, but I do feel more confident, and I’m hoping that my experience at state will help me…in the future and in the upcoming track season especially.” Looking even further into her upcoming goals, she continues, “I’m hoping to do well at all of the state competitions in the future (in track and cross country) and eventually my goal is a running scholarship for college.”

Whether at school, home, or the race course,  Goldfarb gives everything her all and is definitely someone that you’ll want to keep your eye on.