Wichita North High junior Mia Hirsch, a cross-country runner for the RedHawks,
isn’t about to wait until she is a senior to assert herself as a team leader. Hirsch, who
as an eighth grader won four medals at the city meet and then, as a freshman, placed
13 th at State in the 800, has never been one to wait on things to come to her. When
asked about her goals, she responded, “I look forward to getting better each day and to
facing my obstacles. I need to be a leader, to show the younger and the older kids what
this team is really made of; I want to show them what cross country is really about. I
want to teach them about the challenges they will face and help them overcome them,
and I want to show them how athletes should work together and support one another.”
When asked about her goals for the year, Mia’s response showed a similar
appreciation for detail, “My goals for this season are to perfect my techniques and to be
better than I was last year. I want to battle the challenges that I got hit with in prior
years. I really do look forward to going to Rim Rock for Classicals and State. It’s a
great course to challenge someone physically and mentally. Rim Rock’s obstacles help
me to see challenges I didn’t know I had, to see further into my future as an athlete,
and to know that each race is a chance to make a big step forward.” A big step forward
for Hirsch would likely see her place very high at state this season. Last year, as a
sophomore, was the first time that Hirsch had ever run cross country, and her season
ended at state with a finish in the top 55 runners.
Mia’s love for running came at a very young age, “I was always wanting to keep
up with my three older brothers, which I absolutely enjoyed. Also, I would see people
running in the Olympics and for colleges and thought, ‘What if I could be like them?’ So,
I started putting in the work and found a passion for it.”
Mia runs track and field in the spring for the RedHawks. She placed in the top
three in nearly every race that she ran, and she was also able to improve her P.R.
almost every time out. At the KSHSAA State Championships, she placed 12th in the 800
and 10th in the 4×800.
Mia stars in the classroom, as well. She carries a G.P.A. of 4.0 into her junior
year, and because she is taking multiple AP courses, she expects her weighted G.P.A.
to be even higher at the end of the current semester.
Hirsch plans to continue working hard to get a scholarship to run in college. Her
current plan is to get her degree as an X-Ray technician with the end goal of becoming
a radiologist. She wants to help others to discover what is ailing them so they can start
working to better themselves.
