Last Saturday, Aug. 23, the Highlands cross country team completed its first meet of the season. In cross country, teams compete to earn the fewest points possible. The boys’ varsity team placed 7th, with 246 points, and the girls’ varsity team finished first in their division with 113 points.
Centerville has been a favorite meet among cross country teams as one of the only night meets; competitors run through woods illuminated with lights and flashing colors, decked out in illuminated bracelets and glow-in-the-dark facepaint. It is also known as a race full of PR’s (or personal records), for it is a relatively flat course.
“Centerville is really fun because it’s a night race, so it’s cooler. Everyone gets all dressed up for it, and is always really excited for it.” Marlowe Heiert (10) said.
The weather was much nicer this year, as opposed to last year, when half of the races were canceled due to a storm that flooded the course, causing the track to turn into a mud pit.
“Last year was still fun,” Mirabelle Go (10) said, “but for different reasons than this year. It was really low pressure because of the weather; no one was going to run well, so everyone was just enjoying themselves.”
This year, however, everyone on the team performed extremely well. Over half of the runners on the team beat their PRs.
In cross country, the top five runners, or the first five people to complete a race on the varsity team, are the ones who score points. While it’s still early in the season, the first race can set the stage for who will be in those top spots for the year.
On the girls’ team, Liza Zengel (12) scored the highest, finishing 17th out of about 200 competitors, and earning the title of the first runner. Zengel was followed by Ella Taylor (11), who came in 21st, then Sydney Houlihan (12), who completed the race in 22nd, earning the place of the third runner. From there, Sophie Taylor (11) came in 25th, followed by Isla Meyn in 28th (10), rounding out the girls’ team top five.
“Overall, I’m really proud of the team,” Zengel said. “I think this is a great start to our season and it’s really exciting to see the opportunities for the rest of the season.”
On the boys’ team, their top runner was Jacob Gubser (12) who earned 25th place, followed by James Donelan (10) in 46th. From there, Ben Gallagher (12) finished in the 56th spot, earning the title of the third runner. Next came Elias Spaw (11) in 64th place, and finally Trevor Markus (10) finished the race in 98th, completing the boys’ top five.
The Highlands cross country team is already setting off for what looks to be a great season, with their next meet in Ryle right around the corner.
