Waking up before the sun breaks the surface and running until the school bell rings for class, cross country athletes are dedicated to improving not just themselves but the entire team. 

A new head coach did not stop these young athletes from keeping up the pace. 

“Being accountable and holding themselves to standards,” Head Coach Leechelle Lara said. “Anytime you have a new head coach come in you will have struggles, but you will have growth as well. I was here last year as their assistant, but I know it has been a transition, and I am very proud of them for making it easy for all.” 

An exciting start to the cross-country season leaves people even more excited for the next race. 

“Seeing everyone race in their first true competition of the season was the most priding moment out of it all,” Coach Lara said. “Seeing the freshman get the nerves out of their system and everyone getting excited for the next race.” 

Maintaining focus and being prepared gets these athletes better assembled for their next race. 

“We are preparing for the Grand Oaks Invitational by making sure we all show up to practice to get better,” sophomore Tucker Bond said. “Compared to last year, our communication between teammates and coaches has grown a lot. We push ourselves during practice and meets, but we communicate by learning each other’s paces and improving them.” 

Furthermore, from pushing yourself physically to new goals these athletes have to also push themselves past their mental blocks. 

“If you understand or know about cross country you know that every practice and every meet is a rush,” Lara said. “Though you are competing with others you have to mentally compete with yourself.”