Winning a state championship is something that every high school athlete dreams of doing, yet few accomplish. Simply qualifying for the state tournament is a huge accomplishment in itself.

At Wahlert, many sports teams have dominated in the state of Iowa over the past four years. The girl’s volleyball program has created a dynasty, winning three state championships in a row; Girl’s cross country has acquired back-to-back state titles; Boy’s tennis has won two titles in the last three years; and wrestling has won its first title in program history. Specifically, both the volleyball and cross country teams had seniors lead the way this year.

Volleyball player and middle blocker Carolyn Conlon, ‘19, reflected on her time in the program.. “Winning three state championships is a special feeling because not many people ever have that opportunity.”

Conlon’s role on the team has grown exponentially over the last three years.

“My sophomore year, I had Mac May to take me under her wing. I learned a lot about leadership from her, as well as the seniors last year,” Conlon said. “I was able to translate what I learned to my senior season to guide the younger players.”

At the beginning of the year, the cross country team was unsure of how the season would pan out as four varsity runners had graduated. Gracie Long, ‘19, was the only senior varsity runner and blossomed into the role of the team leader.

“I was unsure of the potential the freshmen had, but as the season progressed, I realized how great our team could be.” Long said.. “I tried my best to motivate the team into believing as much as I could.”

Leadership roles are a necessity on every team, especially in sports. Both Conlon and Long understood this, and took the responsibility of the tall task. Clearly, it worked out.

“It was really great to see that even with half of our team being new, we accomplished what felt like a far-reached goal at the beginning of the season.” said Long.