The cross country season has officially started. The team kicked off the season in Carbondale for their first meet of the year. The course was 3.5 miles long with cool temperatures. The team got to the course nice and early to ensure that they were warmed up and ready to run for their first race. The girls and boys warmed up in separate groups.
Both teams made sure to keep the mood as positive as possible for the race with teammates talking to each other and telling jokes. As the saying goes the ladies raced first. The lady lions finished second in their category at the meet with senior Molly Robertson finishing first overall.
The boys team finished third with junior August Anderson finishing 11 overall. When asked about the meet, freshman Ruthie Hornik said “I think the team did really well! Racing 3 miles is not easy but we pushed through and got a great score.”
The team showed true sportsmanship to each other during the race. Many teammates would cheer on their racers during the race and after they finished. Racers would finish their race then line up on the sidelines to cheer on the racers as they finished the race. After everybody finished a race, it wasn’t just parents congratulating the team as other teammates came to congratulate each other as well. Junior Zi Zhang said “I think the team did really well. Personally for me it was a challenge but I really enjoyed it.”
While it was a good challenge, it was also a really good test of strength for the team. With many members enjoying the course.“This was a fun race to experience and although I was just watching it was a lot of fun to see” said freshman Alana Campbell.
The crowd lined up at the sidelines to support the runners during the race. The crowd was a great turnout for the first ever cross country meet of the season. Freshman Jovie Erwin said “it was really great to see the team work together even though they were racing against each other.”
Once again proving the teams sportsmanship not just for their team but for other runners from different schools as well. The team closed off the race by doing a twenty minute cool down with each other before going home on the bus.
