The Hillsdale Academy boys cross-country team won the division four MHSAA state championship. 

Hillsdale scored 129 points, taking a 70-point-lead over the second place team.

The academy’s athletic director Nathan Neveau ’19 said the boys team was very strong this year. 

They were already favored to win the meet due to the foundation of success they had in every meet leading up to state, according to Neveau.

“It’s probably the best team we’ve ever had,” Neveau said. “Throughout the year, they consistently showed their quality as a team in the invitationals they were running.”

Neveau said teamwork was crucial for the team’s success.

“One of the things that made us really successful was pack running,” Neveau said. “We had three kids up front, and they were our lead pack. Each of them was an all-state finisher. Then we had our other group of four behind them, and all of them are really strong runners.”

Head coach Michael Nikkila ’05 said the team’s success comes from a host of factors, including both the team morale and the school’s ethos.

“Part of it is likely the culture we present as a school — that good things are often difficult,” Nikkila said.

Nikkila said the morale comes from the social support of the team, coupled with the individual athletes’ dedication.

“The athletes themselves have been able to find a love for the sport, which I’m really happy about,” Nikkila said.

Senior Thomas Holm, the team’s top runner, took fourth place in the meet with a time of 16:18.6 minutes. Holm said the team entered the season with high expectations because of the high placements of the runners they had, even though the team was not senior-heavy.

“We did the same thing we did all season, and it was enough to win,” Holm said.

Holm said the team’s camaraderie was the key to maintaining the level of effort needed to train consistently.

“A lot of people don’t think of cross-country as a team sport, but going on runs with each other for a solid half hour a day with nothing to do but talk really fosters a community aspect, and I love it,” Holm said.

Holm said this community made them dedicated, both on everyday runs and during meets.

“The coach said there was something in us that wouldn’t lose,” Holm said.