The Cross Country team has set an example for star athletes as well as students since the school has been opened.

Beginning each summer, the team gets in shape, running six days a week usually totaling about 45 miles.

The team competed at the district meet on October 26, and unfortunately, this is the first year runners did not advance to regionals. However, the team maintained an upbeat attitude and optimistic outlook for future seasons.

“We struggled, but that’s okay because we’re young,” junior Jake Alexander said. “We were also up against Vandegrift and Cedar Park, and they’re really good.”

The night before a race, the team shares a carb-filled pasta dinner to give the runners the energy they need. They also drink lots of water to make sure they stay hydrated.

“I think we all tried our hardest, and we did really well as a team,” sophomore Zach Rodriguez said of the district meet.

Runners also devote time to overcome mental blocks before, during and after each race.

“The mental stress reallys get to you because you can do the physical part of just running but then you think ‘when is this going to end?’ or ‘will I even finish?,’” Rodriguez said.

Along with mental stress, the runners faced below-average temperatures and wind at the district meet.

“It made it difficult because the wind was against us,” sophomore Keegan Crow said.

The team plans on working hard to improve speed and endurance in the following seasons.

“We’re going to run more over this summer than we did last summer and work together more as a team to really run as a pack,” Alexander said.

Despite the results, many of the runners reached personal records for their fastest mile times while at district.

“We did well [at district] in the sense that we all reached our fastest times and have had a lot of improvement,” Crow said.

The team is looking forward to what accomplishments may await them in the next season.

“I hope to get on varsity next year,” Rodriguez said. “And maybe win a medal.”