Verona freshman almost didn't run yet ends up 'shocked' as state's silver medalist

It wasn't on DeCabooter's mind because she plays volleyball but, in the end, she opted to give it a try knowing that club volleyball in the winter was still an option.

DeCabooter made the most of the spur of the moment decision Saturday, finishing runner-up in the Division 1 race of the WIAA state cross country championships at The Ridges Golf Course.

“I'm just so shocked that I was able to do this,” she said. “I had a goal of getting like top-20 or top-10 at the most, but the fact I’m a runner-up is insane.”

DeCabooter, who rebroke her school record time by finishing in 18 minutes, 14.2 seconds, nearly became the Wildcats' first individual champion. She led through the first two miles but was ultimately chased down by reigning champion Ella Anschutz of Muskego, who won with a time of 18:04.5.

Getting out to an early lead was on DeCabooter’s mind after sectionals last week because of a poor late kick.

“If I wanted to get top-10, I was going to have to go in and push the pace a little,” she said.

She followed that plan, sprinting out to the early lead but Anschutz proved too much.

“Ella is insane,” DeCabooter said. “I saw her right behind me after the second mile and I knew it was going to be really tough to out-kick. She just did so good that last mile. I tried to keep up with her but I couldn’t.”

A more than memorable first experience at state for DeCabooter, Verona coach Dave Nelson feels it could be the tip of the iceberg.

“We talk about how you win or you learn, and she really did both today,” he said. “This is an experience you can’t get anywhere else. It was an amazing day.”