The regional and state champion cross country team finished with a winning divisional record of 2-1, cementing their season into Patriot history.
Senior Edward Sun lead the team as a co-captain. “I think my most improved quality from this season is leadership. Since it was my senior year and I’m a captain, there were a lot of times I had to take charge of the team and our varsity squad,” Sun said.
Although different factors play into the success of a given race for a runner, Sun said he believes one quality stands out among the others. “The most important thing for this distance is how mentally tough you are. Whoever wants it more is going to win the race,” Sun said.
Despite the incredible finish to the season, the team started out underperforming. Sun attributes his mentality to the season’s successful turn around. “My strength this season was staying positive when our team was in sort of a slump. We had a rough start to the season but really turned it around when it mattered most,” he said.
Sun said he was proud to win the state championship and be part of the team’s triumph. “My favorite memory from this season was definitely winning states. I’d never seen our coach that happy before and it’s definitely something I’ll remember the rest of my life,” he said.
Senior co-captain Rendon Yerman is also proud of the outcome of his final season on the team. “My favorite memory was definitely winning states as a team,” he said.
Although his hard work and commitment were maintained to a high standard throughout the season he still attributes success to his coach, Kellie Redmond’s, wisdom. “She emphasized staying relaxed even while running fast,” Yerman said.
Similarly, junior Nathan Downie said he believes their practices were structured in a way that fostered their late success in the season. Coach Redmond emphasized “running as a team in practice and doing workouts as a group to build chemistry and team strength,” he said.
Although every athlete on the team contributed to the state championship victory, Downie emphasizes the importance of the fastest runners on the team. He said he believes that the team’s strength this season was “having a really strong top five runners because it’s important to have depth.”
Senior Cayla Schwartz also played a role in the team’s success as a co-captain. She also attributes the success of the team to Redmond. Schwartz said her coach always emphasized, “discipline. She always made sure [we had] our watches, water, and appropriate attire. She also made sure that we took responsibility for our own workouts.”
As a co-captain Schwartz said she knew she would have to play her role as a leader for the team to be successful. “My strength [this season] was my understanding of how valuable cross country was and my goal to emphasize [this] to all my teammates making everyone appreciate the sport a bit more,” Schwartz said.
Despite the state championship victory, her favorite moment actually came from something else. “My favorite memory from the season was running up the Frost Hill and seeing all the signs made for all the seniors,” Schwartz said.
