The girls varsity cross country team will attend the 2023 CIF finals on Nov. 18 at Mt. Sac after a season of hard work and success. They cleared preliminaries by placing 4th on Nov. 11 as a team, sprinting to the finals.
As the season wraps up, the girls varsity team prepares for CIF finals with high hopes of placing in the top seven. This will allow them to qualify for the state meet on Nov. 25, where top teams in California compete against each other.
“This season we definitely did really well,” said varsity girls cross country co–captain Michelle Navarro ‘25. “There were some ups and downs, but overall, we were able to persevere and push through [to] help us [get] to CIF.”
The team prepares throughout the season by using periodization –when athletes plan their performance in meets through structured training– so that their peak performance will occur at the end of the season. As finals close in, they utilize tapering by gradually reducing the rigor of workouts to conserve their energy for the more important races.
“Now, our long runs are not nearly as long as they were over the summer and the pacing at which we do those runs has decreased,” said Chad Scott, boys and girls cross country and track co–head coach.
The girls varsity team qualified for finals for the seventh consecutive year, attending the state championships twice. With the goal of state in mind, team members must take care of themselves both in and out of practices.
“We all make sure to take care of ourselves outside of practice by eating good food, hydrating and just not getting sick,” said varsity girls cross country co–captain Alexa Pinon ‘24. “We’ve been focusing on the little things to make sure our team gets stronger and stays healthy.”
In cross country, all athletes compete in every meet and run the same routes, so the team members grow very close through practices and racing together. This relationship helps support the growth of the team as a whole.
“This year, we have gotten a lot closer, and we’ve started doing things outside of practice like team breakfast and team pumpkin carving,” said Pinon. “In the end, we noticed that if we’re closer as a team then we do better.”
Despite a slow start, the team was able to perform their best at the end of the season. Their hard work and support for each other pushed them to achieve their good standing as the season went on.
“Because everyone understands what everyone has to go through, it brings the team closer together, and we can celebrate each other’s successes,” said Scott. “It all translates into our team dynamic, where they are encouraging of one another and enjoy spending time with one another.”
Faced with the challenge of racing the top teams in the highly competitive D2 southern section, their goal is to place as high as possible.
“Our team and our sport are very much that we need each other, and we need to support each other,” said Pinon. “We definitely get along really well, so it makes it really fun to run together.”
