The boys cross country team brought CHS honor by placing second to rival Walter Johnson in the state championships Nov. 13.
“Everyone ran great [in states],” junior Will Conway said. “Both CHS and WJ broke the average combined team record. Basically, we had a great race and beat the record, but WJ ran one of the fastest times in state history.”
Coming off a second place in the county championships Oct. 23, the boys team also took second to WJ in the regional championships Nov. 4.
The rivalry with WJ has been going on for a year now, ever since last year’s state championships.
“We hate WJ,” junior Will Conway said. “We lost to them last year in counties and states, but came back to beat them in Nike regionals. Hopefully, that will happen again this year.”
On the flipside, the girls team took 11th place in counties and eighth in regionals. According to junior Charlotte Bourg, the bad weather in regionals was a huge factor in people not running their best. It was raining during the meet and the course was muddy.
“Everyone was focusing on trying not to fall,” Bourg said. “Even the people who did not fall were covered in mud.”
The girls missed qualifying for states by one place. According to Bourg, it was disappointing not making it to states, but the girls exceeded their original expectations by doing as well as they did.
“We did better than I thought we could have done in the beginning of the season,” Bourg said. “Next year, we’re hoping to have a better season because everyone will be older, stronger and more experienced.”
Track may be an individual sport, but the team’s camaraderie and leadership that help the runners compete as well as they do. The team’s victories come through more than just natural speed.
“Raw talent gets you to the starting point,” senior captain Alex Kim said. “[Putting in] hard work gets you to where you need to be.”
According to Conway, good team unity is the reason for everyone’s success.
“Everyone is pushing each other at practice,” Conway said. “Everybody wants to see their teammates do their best.”
The boys will compete in Nike regionals in North Carolina Nov. 27.
