All-District Girls Cross Country: A season of redemption for Gregori’s Kackley

On the day of her biggest race, Madison Kackley ordered crispy chicken nuggets and a cookies and cream milkshake from Chick-fil-A.

Not the meal you’d expect of an elite cross country runner. Except, this was a celebration meal, coming after her sterling performance in Fresno on Nov. 24.

The Gregori sophomore had just finished 12th in the Division I race at the CIF State Cross Country Championships in Woodward Park. She was the top finisher (17:58) from the Sac-Joaquin Section and was the top sophomore finisher as well.

“It went better than I expected,” Kackley said. “I think that was a good place for me to be in now with two more years left. I felt really good after I finished.”

For her exceptional performance at the State Meet as well as her fantastic season as a whole, Kackley is the Bee’s Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Kackley won two of the three Central California Athletic League meets and finished on top at the Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section Meet on Nov. 3.

The section meet on Nov. 17 served as a redemption for Kackley.

As a freshman, Kackley collapsed with 300 meters remaining and was unable to finish the race.

She was in fifth place and would have qualified for the State Meet.

“I definitely used sections as a motivation,” Kackley said. “That (collapse) was the first time that ever happened.”

Kackley finished in eighth to qualify and even though she had accomplished her goal, she already was focusing on the State Meet in the hours after sections.

Her plan for the meet was to go out fast and “stick with the front girls and keep pace with them.”

It worked.

Kackley, who plays on the varsity soccer team, has started to create her goals for the upcoming track season.

“I want to break five minutes (in the mile),” she said. “I was only two seconds off last year. I also want to go back to the Arcadia Invitational and make it to the State Meet as well.”

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Kackley File

Name: Madison Kackley

School: Gregori

Sport: Cross Country

Year: Sophomore

Hobbies: Drawing, spending time with family and friends

Favorite Movie: Pitch Perfect 2. She loves comedy movies.

Favorite Music Genre: Country. Big Dan+Shay fan.

Favorite TV Show: Friends and That ‘70s Show. Jackie Burkhart is her favorite character because she always has funny things to say.

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All-District Schedule

Dec. 21: Girls Cross County (Madison Kackley)

Dec. 22: Boys Cross County

Dec. 23: Football

Dec. 24: Girls Golf

Dec. 25: Girls Tennis

Dec. 26: Volleyball

Dec. 27: Girls Water Polo

Dec. 28: Boys Water Polo