As the fall sports season draws to a close, the cross country team has shown exceptional performance not only through grit and determination, but by fostering a community of runners with exceptional team values and sportsmanship.
The team kicked off this season with approximately fifty runners and a new coaching staff. Former assistant coach and track and field coach Kayla Magill stepped up as head coach accompanied by assistant coaches Richard Dunham, Gerard Jellig, Mark Cruz, and Josh Shepherd. Former head coach and government teacher Aaron Stiles also continues to volunteer to coach and photograph for the team.
“[Cross Country] is at the same time probably one of the most simple and difficult sports,” sophomore Will Tackaberry said. “There are so many ways to mess up, but all you have to do is run.”
At the second meet of the season, hosted by Lightridge, the team’s summer training and hard work was shown through a first place finish from the boys team and a second place finish from the girls team out of six teams.
“The performance from the first to the last runner is important in a race,” Dunham said. “Even if they aren’t scoring the most points they can still sway them from another team. Every runner has such an impact.”
From after school practices five times a week to meets with over twenty schools in attendance, camaraderie and an enthusiasm for sportsmanship is always on full display. Many of the team’s runners speak to the motivating impact of their teammates and attendees of the event cheering them on.
“There is a lot of cheering and encouragement going on all the time,” junior Riley Montgomery said. “More than in other sports, I think. And the people on the team are what make the sport unique.”
Another distinctive feature of the program is that it is coed. Although the boys and girls compete in separate races, everyone trains together at practices, long runs, and during warm-ups. It is an unusual example in athletics where gender, from a team perspective, is irrelevant.
“We do a lot of team bonding,” Magill said. “But it’s almost like practice itself and the workouts during the week are team bonding as well because everyone’s going through it together, especially during tough workouts.”
One of the primary goals of the cross country program is to create a lifelong love of running. For most senior athletes, this is the end of their athletic journey. While other sports such as football or soccer are also fulfilling for high school athletes, few cross country runners have the opportunity to continue their sport cooperatively after high school or college.
For many of the senior cross country runners, it is just the beginning of a lifetime of long distance running. Even sports such as tennis and swimming, commonly participated in by adults, require specialized and often expensive equipment and facilities. All that a runner needs is a pair of shoes and an open road.
At the team’s second to last regular season meet, hosted by Woodgrove on Oct. 16, many runners saw personal record times leading up to the final Third Battle Invitational Meet on Oct. 19. The flat course, cool weather, and exciting atmosphere made the meet the perfect opportunity for runners to do their best.
As for the postseason, the District meet will be hosted by Lightridge on Oct. 30 and the Regional meet at Oatlands on Nov. 11.
“I’m proud of all my teammates and how far we’ve come as a team this season,” junior team captain Wyatt McNeil said. “I’m super excited for us to go and show that we can be competitive this postseason.”
