At one of the most important events of the year, the cross country team’s meet at Woodbridge had the members locked in. The student-athletes prepared, and it showed in their attitude. With many of them breaking their own personal records, they reflect on what went well for them.
“It was honestly an insane run,” sophomore Heleena Barnett said. “It felt like a sprint to the finish line the whole time and genuinely just seemed like a blur. It was an amazing experience that I’m so grateful I was a part of.”
Barnett had a personal record of 17.53 seconds. She was a major contributing factor for the girls team, which placed 8th in the most competitive race of the day. These competitive races fueled athletes to push for better times.
“Woodbridge as well as my training over the past few weeks played a large role in my personal record this past Saturday,” sophomore Jaiden Chan said. “The vast competition from all over motivated me during my race. I knew that I could trust in my training and that all of the practices that I went to had led up to this moment.”
For Chan, it was the determination and the focus on self improvement that eventually led to this big moment. Chan set a personal record of 15.26 seconds.
“All the work that I put in, whether it was the morning weight room or double tempos, prepared me for my race,” Chan said.
For others, it was the confidence that the training and hard work would kick in.
“I knew the race was going to be fast from the start, and I prepared myself to push when it got hard,” sophomore Tabitha Brown said. “I didn’t really plan out the race; I just kind of went and then tried to hold it. I used the other girls in the race to keep moving up in my place. I was not expecting to get the time that I did, but I was very happy with it. I’ve been training hard for months now, and I’m glad to see that it’s paying off.”
Brown ran a personal record of 17.05 seconds to lead the girls team in the last race. But for all students, the actual race was a huge part of the experience, with some remembering each detail.
“The race was honestly electric. People are all over the course and you are filled with so much adrenaline that it’s hard to not have fun and try to smile through it,” senior Ariel Ben Mocha said. “I’ve had a lot of struggles in the sport, both physical and mental. Running a personal record after many times of thinking I would not toe the line of a race again was very special for me. My teammates and I have put in the work all summer and it definitely shows.”
Ben Mocha ran a personal record of 20.29 seconds. All students used this meet as an opportunity to improve, and each one is excited to strive for even more success in the future.
“We rely on each other, work together and have bonds that I don’t think many other teams get the chance to have. They make these races fun and push me to be the best leader I can be,” Ben Mocha said.
