The Men’s Cross country team competed in Regionals on Saturday the 29th at Veterans Memorial Park where they placed 2nd out of 10 teams in the 5A South Division.

The girls team completed regionals in 5th out of 10 teams. Both of the teams were one of the 5 teams in the region to qualify for state. The boys team was led by sophomores Carson Wetzel and Landon Larsen, who each placed in the top 7 and earned medals. The girls team was led by junior Leah Okuda and freshman Elin Okuda who both placed in the top 7 and received medals. Out of more than 40 boys and 15 girls on the team’s roster only 10 for each gender were selected for regionals. Out of those 10 selected for regionals only 7 of them will move on to state. 

Senior Ryan Stevens states, “I never thought I would do so well at regionals.”

This 2nd place did not come to the team easy though. The teams have been working hard for regionals and state ever since June. They started off intramurals early in June and will finish the season off with state on November 5th. They have been running 5-6 days a week. There are 3 types of workouts a runner will have depending on the day. One day a runner could be doing a hard day, this is where they will do a tough run like a track workout or hill repeats. Another day a runner could have an easy day, where they will typically go at a slower pace and run more mileage. The last day is race day, this is the day of the race and this is what runners prepare for throughout the season. A race day typically is on a Saturday but could be on a week day. This is when they will run anywhere from 2.5 miles to a 5k.

Running isn’t just a physical sport it is a mental sport too. When a runner gets up to the start line they have to be prepared mentally. One of the ways for a runner to do this is to have a schedule.

Senior Ethans Hughes says, “In order for me to run well I need to stick to my routine.”

Being prepared mentally also involves having dedication to what they are running. This means coming to practice everyday and pushing hard during the race. In a race, a runner will feel like they need to quit or can’t run anymore, but it is when they push through the doubt and the pain that a runner is truly able to reach their fastest times.

Freshman Connor Fife says, “I feel the best after a race when I know I gave it all that I had left.” 

The team will have its state race this Saturday November 5th.