Junior Kassadi Thompson made history this past weekend. Her third place finish at the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Division 1 State Championship was the highest finish for a female cross country runner in Heights High’s 100-year history. And the best finish for any Heights cross country runner in 60 years.

Kassadi dominated the field in her 3.1-mile races throughout the season, breaking the school record, which she set last year, a total of five times. The post-season proved no different: She was the Greater Cleveland Conference champion in mid-October and finished the Regional Meet in second place, earning her a clear spot at the State Championship, along with 179 other girls from across Ohio, for the second year in a row.

Nerves got the best of her the night before the November 7th meet at Fortress Obetz, south of Columbus. “But about 30 minutes before race time, when I was doing my warm-up drills on the line, I started to feel good,” she said. When the gun went off, her legs took over, doing what they do best.

Coach Vanessa Parrino-Pleasant’s strategy was for Kassadi to stick with the top seven runners, which she did handily, even moving into first place at the 1-mile mark.

“I didn’t really want to lead,” Kassadi admitted. “But I figured I could just stay with whoever else was leading.” And that she did.

As she approached the finish line, she was clearly in third place, without much chance that she’d either get passed by the person behind her or pass the person in front of her. And then she caught a glimpse of the clock and realized she could beat her longtime goal of finishing in under 18 minutes.

“That’s when I really started sprinting," Kassadi said. She crossed the finish line at 17:59.5, setting yet another new Heights record … one she hopes to break again next fall. Her accomplishments are extra impressive considering she’s still a junior, while all but one other runner in the top nine finishers were seniors.

“It was an historic season,“ said Athletic Director Joe D’Amato. The last time a female cross country runner placed at the State Championship was 1988, with a 19th place finish for Kim Snell. And only two cross country runners have ever placed higher than Kassadi: Richard Roski in 2nd in 1966 and Mike Stern in 2nd in 1959.

“And it was really fun to be along for the ride,” D’Amato added. “We’re all extremely proud of her and can’t wait til next year.”

Coach Vanessa Parrino-Pleasant echoed those sentiments: “I am so proud of Kass’ desire to work hard, be committed and stay the course, allowing her to shine as an athlete and as a person.”

Kassadi will now enjoy two weeks off before ramping up for the Indoor Track season, where she hopes to break five minutes in the 1600-meter race and 11 minutes in the 3200.