The girls’ Varsity Cross Country Team is off to a hot start this year after winning their first three conference events of the season. Led by captains Gianna Lagunas, Emily Witte, Cassidy Gorham, and Shalini Krishnaswamy, the team is looking at one common goal: qualifying for the State Finals.
In 2023, the team had lots of success making it to the State Championship and finishing 11th overall. All-state runner Lucy Schlachtenhaufen, who is now running at the University of Richmond, finished 22nd overall.
This year, the Scouts are trying to replicate and surpass the season they had last year.
But making it to state is no easy task. The team must make it past conference, regionals, and sectionals all before making it to the State Finals.
The Scouts’ training started in the beginning of June and they have two three-week summer camp training sessions as a team. On top of that, all of the girls run on their own even in the summer heat.
“Summer miles are the key to success and building a strong foundation for the season. Without them, you can’t have a good season,” Captain Emily Witte said. “Summer practices for Varsity build up to 45-50 miles a week.”
Preparation during the season for the team extends a lot further than just running in circles around the track; there are a lot more strategies that go into it than one may think.
Each cross country course is different and requires a different angle of attack. Some courses may have more hills or turns than others and that requires different types of training.
“We have meets on Tuesdays and Saturdays, shaping our practice agendas depending on the course we are running at. Weekend meets involve preparing mentally and physically during the prior week,” Captain Gianna Lagunas said.
Practices that prepare the team for a course with greater elevation include more up-hill training. Some practices focus on strong finishing or speed pacing to ensure the girls have all the tools necessary for success.
One thing the team does to keep practice interesting and fun are “pancake runs,” a notorious favorite among all the girls on the team. On Saturdays with no races, the team will have long practice runs, which go up to 15 miles, but as a reward Coach Clegg and Coach Levinson make pancakes for all the girls.
Mental training is essential for the girls’ success. Cross country can be mentally tough for the runners, but the practice plan does not shy away from the mindset aspect.
“Our coach is really good about preparing us mentally and physically by making sure we take recovery seriously and by helping our mental games through visualization techniques before races,” Captain Shalini Krishnaswamy said.
The team has various big events coming up in the near future, one particular event that is highly anticipated: The Night Race. Every year the Scouts host a race at West Campus under the lights late at night to add a new aspect to the sport. The team likes to add to the energy by wearing glow in the dark paint and bracelets.
“We definitely have had a packed season so far but I think if we keep up the miles and stay healthy I think the rest of the season looks really promising and we will hopefully make it back to Peoria for the state meet,” Witte said.
