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Garren pulling double duty for Sheldon v-ball, XC
Only one Sheldon High School athlete has medaled in cross country in program history.
Now a senior, Madison Garren should also be the first one to do it twice.
She might as well play some volleyball while she’s at it.
“Let’s run it back to Columbia!” stated SHS cross country coach Mike Galimberto of his lone runner this fall. “I continue to be amazed and proud of this young lady and her commitment to not only cross country, but to her academic future as well. I will miss having her as an athlete in our programs, and only want the best for her.”
Garren, who finished 25th at the Class 1 state cross country meet last November, has lowered her 5K times to around 22 minutes, and Galimberto said she is driven to continue shaving seconds off that mark. It’s a feat that has even attracted the attention of college coaches.
In addition to leading the school on the cross country course, Garren is one of four seniors on the Sheldon volleyball team (along with Destiny Brokob, Leah Byram, and Cristina Scalley). With the help of some underclassmen, including sophomore hitter Ella Kleeman, Garren and company put on one of the Lady Panthers’ best jamboree performances in recent years Thursday at Jasper.
Though Sheldon got swept by the host team and McAuley in the first two matches of the exhibition, the team responded with a 17-15 first-set win over Thomas Jefferson Independent. The Lady Cavaliers got their revenge with a two-point win in the second set, but SHS head coach Emily Godsey said it’s clear that her team has improved since practice started earlier this month.
“I am so proud of all my players and how they were able to calm down and just play volleyball,” Godsey stated. “My leadership team did a fantastic job hyping up the girls, getting them excited, getting our crowd into the games, and making sure everyone was having fun.
“I’m very excited to see how this season plays out!”