LCP'S TRIPP ROEMER CELEBRATES AS HE CROSSES THE FINISH LINE!
"Amazing"
That was the adjective Loyola's Tripp Roemer used to describe what it was like to be racing again on Saturday morning at the WK Palmetto Cross Country Classic in Benton, La.. Roemer finished with a 17:03 which was good enough to edge out Benton sophomore Brody Hutchison (17:16).
Roemer has had a rough go of it during the start of the 2023 season as he has worked through problems with his right hip.
"I got multiple diagnoses on it so I'm not sure what exactly the injury was, but it should be completely fine now," Roemer said.
It was Roemer's first time running the course, which he says will prepare him for bigger races next month.
"It reminded me of state," Roemer said. "The kind of uneven ground, it was good practice for it. I'm really happy I got to run it."
With his injury behind him, Roemer looks to set his sights on the LHSAA State Cross Country Championships in Natchitoches on Monday, November 13.
Last year, Roemer (16:14) finished as the runner-up in LHSAA Division III State Meet to University Lab's Blayton Bernard (16:05).
This year, the goal is simple.
"Just win state," Roemer said. "You know, I've had a rough start to the season, definitely, but I think I'm building back up to it. There has been a lot of cross training and sad days not being able to run. That gives me joy during the day. And not being able to do that, that was hard for me. But I pushed through and cross trained every single day and ran when I could. Just being patient with it was the main thing for me."
Not only did LCP have the individual winner in the boys' division, the Flyers also took home the team title. Other scoring runners included Reece Armagost (No. 6; 17:57), Mark Henry (No. 9; 18:28), Carter Ward (No. 11; 18:40), and Landon Hooper (No. 15; 18:51).
"They've been working hard all season to finish the post season strong," Loyola Coach Marcos Villalba said. "They came out and ran a smart start to the race and finished strong here at the Palmetto Classic. We are happy to have our No. 1 runner back--Tripp Roemer--who has been injured. Now that he is back, we have the team we want heading into the championships at regionals and state."
The Flyers scored 41 points, 28 points better than host Benton.