On a windy afternoon at Utica Park, the cross country team was ready for regionals. The course was relatively flat, but beating 12 other teams wouldn’t be easy. The competition was completely new since the school’s division had changed this year, and the team was battling the injuries they had sustained throughout the season.

The 3A West Regional Meet was the second to last meet of the season for cross country, and when Nov. 2 came, they were ready to give their all. The girls won by five points, with a high score of 78 points. The top runners were sophomore Charlotte Chang (19:31), senior Tori Ketzler (19:38), junior Annie Sun (20:45), sophomore Molly Eisenfeld (21:27) and junior Aanya Tiwari (21:30). “I think we’ve gotten closer in terms of time because we have gotten closer as friends,” junior Cayla Schwartz said.

The boys’ race ended with five out of the seven boys racing and beating their own personal record, with almost three minutes separating the first and last runner to cross the finish line. They won by 47 points, half the score of the first runner-up. The top runners were junior Edward Sun (16:11), junior Rendon Yerman (16:18), senior Troy Bailey (16:37), sophomores Kal Yewlsew (16:46) and Nathan Downie (17:31). “I surprised myself, I didn’t think I would get second in this race; I’m very happy. Before the race, we had some concerns, but our results definitely cemented this meet as our best meet of the season,” Edward Sun said.

Expectations were high for states and the team was projected to do well, especially after regionals. “I’m really excited for the state meet, I think both teams can be really competitive there, and we’re running great right now so there’s nothing stopping us from having the best meet of our season,” coach Kellie Redmond said.

On Nov. 11, the team arrived at Hereford High School, a notoriously tough course that proved to be a challenge for all teams. The girls’ team was placed eighth, with a score of 229. The top runners were Ketzler (20:27), who won an individual medal, Annie Sun (21:33), Eisenfeld (21:58), junior Maggie Hennessy (23:20) and Schwartz (23:22). “The runners had to overcome a lot of sickness and they still pretty much killed themselves to do well,” junior David See said.

The boys placed fourth, with a score of 136. They were led by Edward Sun (16:33), Yerman (16:43), Bailey (17:01), Yewlsew (17:39) and Eppard (17:56), the top three getting personal medals. “I’m happy with my personal performance, but cross country is a team sport and it’s disappointing to get fourth place,” Eppard said.

The team overcame obstacles this season, and while they didn’t place as high as they were projected to at states, teammates and fans still gave their full support. “I really appreciated so many of my teammates coming to support the team, it meant the world to us,” Hennessy said.