The annual cross country state finals signified the end of the 2016 season for the varsity runners. Up until counties, each member on the cross country team had been working hard each and every day to push harder and run faster than their competitors. For the JV runners, however, counties was a bittersweet goodbye to the season.

“The girls and the boys teams got excited about the sport and got faster in every race, so for me as a coach, that’s a total success,” coach Tom Martin said, addressing the JV team’s hard work throughout the season.

However, the varsity team had been training ever since, in order to prepare the top seven runners from the boys and girls team for states. The grueling competition requires lots of commitment and initiative for each runner to succeed, in addition there is much more pressure added to the girls’ team who were vying for their fourth state championship in a row. But according to the varsity runners, they were ready as ever to dominate the races.

“We have really good competition in our state, so I think that we’re definitely going to be pushing each other to be the best that we can,” junior Abbey Green said before the state finals.  “Hopefully we’ll do great as a team and do the best that we can do and let it out on the hard course.”

This year at counties Green dominated the girls varsity race, setting a new course record at 17:56, crossing the finish line a full minute and thirty seconds before the second place runner.

In terms of team commitment, coach Martin notes the increased amount of dedication to the team he saw throughout the season. Martin had previously expressed his worries about the varsity boys’ willingness to train earlier in the season.

“The boys still could improve their commitment to the team, but we’re working on trying to get that better, to try to install that in them. It’s partly our responsibility to impress upon them the importance of making a team goal,” Martin said.

Yet the team had no doubt in their mind they would do anything but succeed for the rest of this season. After three months of daily training and intense meets, the runners felt they were in good shape for states.

“I feel very prepared for states. I’m feeling really good; my legs are feeling good and I’m excited for our team to go to states,” junior Jackson May said before his race at the state finals. It was May’s first time representing the team at states as one of the top seven boys runners. He, like the rest of the team, couldn’t wait to get out and shred up the course.

And they definitely did some shredding. The team finished out the season with the girls team once again pulling in at first place for the fourth year in a row and the boys team racing against fierce competition at the state championships. The blood, sweat and tears put into a tough season of racing has payed off for both teams, especially with the fourth consecutive win for the girls. With the season behind them, the cross country team bids goodbye to cross country for now, but the next just around the corner.