The cross-country teams excelled in their Senior Night on October 13, celebrating Andy B., Luke K., Jacob L., Jiaqi L., and Giuseppe P. on their home course.
Both teams placed first, beating Newark Catholic. The girl won with 18 points; the boys had 17. “I’ve been running for six years,” Giuseppe says, “and this year has been a tough one. It’s hard to continuously improve, especially with the pressure of senior year.” Despite that, he said, “This has been a good team. Throughout all four years, everyone’s been good to me and supportive, and that’s something that feels unique to cross country, where we’re all encouraged to support one another, regardless of which team you’re on or whether you’re a girl or a boy.”
Jiaqi has also been running for six years: “I’ve kept running because the team environment is incredibly supportive. Running is a constant attempt to push yourself farther, and even though it’s hard, teammates and coaches cheering for you make it worthwhile,” she said.
In terms of how the season’s been going, Andy says that “It’s been a sort of rebuilding year for the boys team after we lost three prominent seniors from last season’s run to the state meet, but it’s been great nonetheless. We’ve had people really step up to fill the shoes of leadership we lost, and the team feels more interconnected among grade levels than I recall in past years.”
Luke has been running for ten years: “I like to run cross country because you can do it anywhere, no matter what, with other people or by yourself, regardless of skill or equipment. It’s nice to build closer relationships with my teammates through running and spending more time with my friends,” he said.
Along with a home meet, the Vikes competed in the Liberty Union Invitational on Saturday. The boys placed sixth out of seven teams, with 132 points, and while the girls team in its entirety didn’t compete, Jiaqi and Zoe Y. did, placing in 33rd and 41st, respectively, out of 42 total runners. “Our top five girls had the weekend off,” runner Claire H. explains.
The Vikes have a meet at Whitehall Community Park on Saturday, October 17.
