Scout Storms dominated almost all of her races domestically before taking her show on the road to England
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Not many people know this, but Scout Storms has been playing a double agent for most of her life in a great way.
The junior standout from Barrington recently sojourned across the pond to compete in the Liverpool Cross Country Challenge in England. "My mom is British, and I lived here until I was six when we moved to Illinois," said Storms. "My dad is American, so I have dual citizenship." There were scores of relatives to cheer on Storms, including her grandfather, who hails from Liverpool.
Storms, representing the Birchfield Harriers Club, took fourth in the U17 race (combined with U20), running 15:32 for 4.4 kilometers. "I was 11th overall in the combined race... more international races are coming up in 2024 where I have indicated my interest in being selected."
The rugged European-style cross-country conditions consisted of mud, rain, and everything you hear and see. Storms was stoked about the awards presentation. "Carl Lewis was there representing the University of Houston and presented the medals, sadly I didn't get a chance to meet him," she said.
Scout's high school team enjoyed a tremendous season, one of the best in their program's history. The Fillies placed third in the 3A state championship, beating NXR Midwest champion, MSL league rival Prospect, and perennial power Naperville North. Storms earned her first individual state crown in the process.
The Fillies missed qualifying for the Nike Cross Nationals, taking fourth place in Terre Haute, Indiana, behind Prospect, Downers Grove North, and York. York earned one of four at-large berths. Despite being the fourth team in the Midwest, The Fillies still received a strong look from the committee as one of the teams considered for the at-large spot.
There is a silver lining at the end of the rainbow. "The team just entered RunningLane Nationals... it's another fun trip weekend [coming up]." Barrington immediately puts themselves on the radar as one of the favorites in the RunningLane field, which also includes NXN near-miss Texas team Lucas Lovejoy, as well as Brentwood TN and Central Kitsap WA. Between Barrington and Lovejoy, our National Coverage team agree that one will take home the RunningLane trophy in Huntsville this weekend. Catch that action live on MileSplit on Saturday--Scout and her Fillie teammates race for the title at 10:30am CST.
