By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Sophie Nicol took a short glance at the clock as she crossed the finish line on Monday at the Solon Invitational, raised her hands above her head and took a deep breath.

Nicol navigated around the competitors crowded past the finish stopping only for a few hugs or handshakes and found a spot on the outside of the finish chute.

Standing among the spectators and family members Nicol turned back toward the course and fixed her gaze encouraging her teammates as each approached the finish.

It was a fitting spot for the Solon senior, affectionately known to her teammates as ‘mom’.

“It just shows that they look up to me a lot,” Nicol said of the mom moniker. “I love it.”

Nicol was saddled with the mom tag last season as one of only two upperclassmen on a Solon varsity roster full of young runners.

A four-year varsity letter winner with a penchant for helping her younger teammates the nickname was a fit.

“She’s so important to us as that leader that watches out for us,” sophomore Ella Duster said. “I don’t know what we are going to do without her next year.”

The regular varsity lineup for Solon last season featured five underclassmen.

With two years of varsity experience under her belt Nicol found herself acting as a de facto coach early in the season for the Spartan’s three first-year runners.

“Every day before practice they ask me what we are doing as if I would know, they just expect me to know what we are doing and I absolutely love it,” Nicol said. “They always joke that they feel like I’ve been a senior for three years because I had to step into that position when I was young.”

Nicol cut her teeth in the varsity lineup as a freshman.

Being thrust into action early in her career has helped Nicol become a model for the younger Spartans.

“We have been blessed with Sophie Nicol as our leader,” Solon coach Emy Williams said before the season. “She has had that experience and has kind of stepped into that role and really been a great leader.”

Nicol isn’t just a leader for the young runners.

Junior Erin Kerkhoff is in her third year as a key contributor for the Spartans and has been a regular in the front of the pack for Solon the past two seasons.

Kerkhoff says Nicol is more than a leader, she’s a teacher who wants to help every member of the team any way she can.  

“My freshman year she really helped me get the first mile down because I used to start really slow,” Kerkhoff said. “She has really helped me with my pace a lot and she just wants to help each person with whatever she can.”

The more time Nicol spent as a runner at Solon the more she cared and the more she cared the more she wanted to help her teammates.

Nicol finished 20th at the Solon Invite Monday at the Solon Nature and Recreation Area behind freshman teammate Kiersten Conway who was seventh and Kerkhoff who placed 14th.

All seven members of the Solon varsity that finished on Monday had help from Nicol in one way or another.

“She helps me through the race because I can hear her voice in my head helping me along,” Sophomore Ella Duster said. “It’s nice to have her.”

With her high school cross country career nearing its end Nicol has taken her leadership duties and her responsibilities as the team mom to heart.  

“Every practice I try not to take it for granted because I know it will be over in the blink of an eye,” Nicol said. “As much as I will miss running I think I’ll miss my teammates the most because we are such a family.”

Before her career comes to an end Nicol has plans for a big finish.

Solon was third at its own invite on Monday finishing behind Class 4A No. 10 North Scott and 2A top-ranked Mid-Prairie.

Solon snapped a three-year string without a state meet appearance last year, finishing 15th at the 3A meet.

The Spartans have the luxury of running their 3A state qualifying meet at home where they hope to earn a chance to improve on last season’s state finish.

“We still have a long way to go and I still have so much confidence in this team,” Nicol said. “I tell them almost every practice we need to train especially hard because we have big goals this year. I’m honestly so glad that we have districts here just so I can run it one more time.”

Nicol wants nothing more than to end her career at the state meet.

Her teammates want to extend the season to keep ‘mom’ around as long as possible.  

“I am going to miss her so much when she leaves I don’t know what we are going to do without her,” Kerkhoff said. “I love her.”