Originally scheduled for Saturday, wet weather forced the MHSAA to reschedule its cross country championship meets for Classes 6A, 4A and 2A to Wednesday.

West Lauderdale’s Emma Claire James said it threw off her and her teammates’ preparation.

“We had started tapering down and going away from hard workouts, so when it got moved up (to Wednesday), it messed us up,” James said.

If that’s the case, it didn’t show up in James’ results, as the senior finished first overall with a time of 20:54.44 Wednesday in the 4A state meet at Choctaw Trails in Clinton. West Lauderdale as a team finished second overall to Corinth High School with a total time of 1:53:50.41.

Delaying the meet a few days wasn’t the only adjustment James had to make, as Wednesday ended up being a warm afternoon, whereas her more recent meets had taken place during cooler temperatures. 

“We also hadn’t done speed runs, so I think that was a factor in all of our times,” James said.

James and teammate Emily Snodgrass, who came in seventh overall with a time of 22:06.67, began near the front of the pack Wednesday with just a few girls ahead of them. Once they hit the 1-mile mark of Choctaw Trails’ 5K course, James made her move to the front and never trailed after that.

“My dad said the next girl was about 50 to 60 yards back, and when I got close to the finish, I heard people cheering them on behind me,” James recalled. “Also, the finish was uphill, so it was hard. I was worried, but not too worried.”

After finishing runner-up at the 4A meet her freshman year and in the top 14 the past two seasons, James finally got an individual state title. Still, when she crossed the finishing line, the accomplishment hadn’t quite sunk it.

“I was so tired, and it was so hot that I don’t remember much,” I didn’t start to process it until I walked away from the finishing area, then I was like, ‘Oh.’”

Since then, James said the reality has begun to hit her.

“It’s really satisfying, and it makes it worth it when you see that your hard work has paid off,” James said. 

Up next for James is track and field season in the spring, for which she’ll begin training soon. Beyond that, James said she would like to continue running cross country in college, and she’s currently considering Charleston Southern, Mississippi College and William Carey as her top three college choices right now.

James is the daughter of Tina and Gary James.