Junior McKenzie Willard beat the DGN girls cross country record for the three-mile race Saturday, Sep. 16 at the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational. Her time was 17:18.9 which led her to finish in an impressive second place. The previous record was held by 2021 DGN graduate Melissa Jachim; Willard surpassed the record by 1/10th of a second.  

Willard’s growth has been incredible to witness especially so far this season. She has become one of the top runners on the cross-country team within the past couple of months. 

Girls’ cross country coach Matthew Maletich thought Willard’s record break was nothing short of deserving. 

“She’s been rock solid. We’ve gotten to see her evolve over the years. She’s gotten better every year. She’s very level-headed about everything she does and has a great mindset about pushing herself,” Maletich said. 

Last year at the same invitational meet, Willard came in seventh place in the freshman/sophomore division with a time of 19:4.0. She beat her personal record by over two minutes and improved her finish by five spots at this year’s varsity event. 

“I have grown a lot as an athlete over the past year because of all the hard work I have put in. I felt really happy after breaking the record. It’s a huge accomplishment for me. I never would have thought this is where I’d be now,” Willard said. 

Fellow teammate and cross-country runner, senior Pallavi Fisher, was thrilled to see Willard break the record. 

“She is so dedicated, she has never missed a single meet in her entire three years on the team,” Fisher said. “She puts in the work outside of practice, so it’s awesome to see her rewarded with breaking the record. I think everyone was really happy for her.”