State cross country championship the 'cherry on top' of Deerfield/Cambridge junior's season

Through it all has been teammate McKenna Michel, as the pair co-captained the Deerfield/Cambridge girls cross country team this fall.

The pair’s joint effort paid off Saturday, as Drobac held off a loaded field to win the Division 2 girls individual title at the WIAA state cross country championships at The Ridges Golf Course. Drobac became the Demons’ first individual champion after finishing fifth last year.

“It feels so good. I really put in the work this season, and to get that outcome was just the cherry on top,” Drobac said.

Drobac crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 38.9 seconds, narrowly holding off Bloomer’s Ciara Hartman (17:43.2), one-third of the Blackhawks’ sophomore triplets that all finished in the top-13. The trio were part of a loaded field of competitors, which proved to be the perfect motivator Drobac needed to make school history.

“I think it was almost, if not all, my fuel,” Drobac said. “They are excellent runners those three, and I knew they were going to be here at the state tournament. I was ready for them. They definitely pushed me through that race and helped me get a decent time.”

While the Hartman triplets and others gave Drobac the final push, Michel was there from the beginning of the season. While they wouldn’t exclusively train with one another — Michel chuckled while acknowledging Drobac “has a little bit more speed,” — the duo would spend their less taxing runs together.

“I think we’re both each other’s support because running ultimately is a mental sport, and I think having each other, we can feed off our friendship and just our energy to support each other,” Michel said.

Michel said the pair often would listen to music to get excited, and prior to their races would encourage each other to do their best and help get the other in the right frame of mind.

“We say ‘Just run your race. Do the best you can, because you can’t really worry about what everyone else is going to do,’” Michel said.

The pair got to do so one final time before Drobac captured her first gold medal. Michel, who finished 43rd in 20:19.7, was there afterwards to embrace Drobac after her title triumph.

“She also captains with me during basketball, so we have this incredible bond,” Drobac said. “She’s helped me push through with my mental health, honestly. She’s an amazing teammate and having her here was amazing.”