The cross country team continues to succeed coming off of big wins in multiple meets.

The team is unlike others here because they have over 100 athletes. “Although we have so many runners, we are very close to each other. I have made many friends from this team. Because we have so many runners, it is also very competitive,” sophomore Grace Mahon said.

The runners practice every day after school to improve their speed, overall running ability and quality of life. “Even if you are not fast, there is a spot for you on the team. I try to improve my times without comparing myself to others,” Mahon said.

The team dinners are known to have spaghetti, an adequate meal before a race or practice the next day. “I love spaghetti dinners because we get to hang out with each other and bond,” Mahon said.

The runners went to a race at BCC on Oct. 2, with Sherwood also attending the three-team battle. Senior Franklin Jong finished first, with sophomore Jason Wang finishing not far behind in sixth. Senior Anna Baldwin finished second place overall, leading the way for the girls.

There was a two-mile time trial at the home course on Oct. 7. For the boys, Wang came out on top with a time of 11:09. Baldwin finished first for girls, running a 12:49. “Time trials were good. You can see that everyone progressed a lot throughout the season and you can see big differences in times,” Mahon said.

These athletes have been putting in work since summer and it is paying off. “Everyone had personal bests in the time trial. It was shady and cool so it wasn’t as bad as our scrimmage against BCC, which was hot and sunny,” sophomore Giselle Guillen said.

The team had the Coyote Run meet at Clarksburg on Oct. 10. Both the boys and girls came in first place, racking up the wins for the team. “I placed eighth for JV. It was a lot of fun. It was great to see our varsity teams win because there were many schools at this big event,” Mahon said.

The Patriots raced in the Montgomery County Championship on Oct. 19, too late to be covered in this issue.