VERSAILLES, Ky. - As she laid sprawled on the grass, an exhausted Trinity Smith could muster just one four-word response to an increasing group of approaching well-wishers.
"It was so hard."
But moments later, after re-gaining her composure, Smith was happy to declare the difficulty she just endured "100 percent all worth it," as it had just earned her a trip to the NAIA Cross Country National Championships.
Smith secured an at-large bid to nationals with a third-place run of 23:44.43 at the River States Championships Saturday. She was the top performer for Midway, which finished fifth at the 12-team event with a score of 127.
Indiana East won with 58 points while Hannah Wells of IU Kokomo was the medalist, winning in 23:36.73
Smith, who qualified as a top-four finisher from a non-winning team, entered having broken school records in both the 6K and 5K in her last two races. She kept the momentum going, jumping out to a fast start and finishing even stronger, moving up from fifth place two-thirds of the way through.
"At first I was kind of scared because (I thought) maybe I was going out too fast," said Smith, who missed her 6K record by six seconds. "But I was like 'I'm going to stay in this spot, hope for the best.' And I just got in a groove."
Smith says this season has been particularly grueling for her. But now that her efforts have paid off, she is eager to enjoy the opportunity in front of her.
"This season, training alone has been really hard," she said. "But all that work was worth it because it helped me push past all those mental boundaries and just go for it.
"This is my first nationals ever. So I just kind of want to go out and have fun with it."
Smith will be the first Eagle to run at nationals since the entire team qualified behind a runner-up finish at the 2020 RSC Championships.
Abby Mabe also earned all-conference recognition, making the All-RSC Third Team with a 20th-place run of 25:41.96. Stevie McSorley was just three spots behind her, running a 25:49.25.
Macy Adams placed 43rd in 27:29.99 with Madison Clayton finishing 46th in 27:39.65 to complete the scoring for the Eagles.
Nationals will be held in Vancouver, Wash. on Nov. 17. Smith will be joined by Jacob and Josiah Kocis, as the brothers both qualified for the men's race.
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