collettegillaspie

Cross country is tough—really, really tough. Practices are leg day, every day.   There are no time outs, no halftimes, no water breaks, and no substitutions in a 5K race. The team shirt this year boasts the slogan, “My sport is your sport’s punishment.” So far, the team has successfully competed in several meets.

Coach Roger Wright has high hopes for this year’s team. The rallying cry, “A championship scene in 2015,” is neatly typed at the bottom of each meet sheet. “My goal is to make a young team as good as it can be by the end of the season.  Kearney was a good example of this. The girls stepped up and competed well. It is a goal of ours to get back to the state meet,” Wright said.

This year, Marian’s top runners include junior Katie Williams, freshman Kira Bravo, and sophomore Julia Hingorani.

Officially, Williams has only been running for two years. “It [cross country] is a good way to meet people. Runners are usually nice people. It is a good way to get my competitiveness out, and it keeps you in shape. The people make it fun.”

Bravo is new to the team but a seasoned athlete. She balances cross country and club soccer and even trained over the summer. “I trained with Papio South last summer.”

Hingorani said, “I want to beat my personal record from last year, and I want to enjoy cross country more this year.”

Stay tuned to see how the Cross Country team does at Metros (Oct. 8 at Walnut Creek), Districts (Oct. 15) and State (Oct. 23 at Kearney). They show what it really means to run like a girl.

Cross Country Results so far:

Seward Invite (Concordia) Varsity 6th of 14, JV 3rd of 14

Nebraska Wesleyan Invite (Pioneer Park) Varsity 4th of 6, JV 3rd of 6

Bellevue West Invite (Bellevue West) Freshmen 1st of 9, Sophomores 5th of 9

Millard South Invite (Walnut Grove) Varsity 7th of 10, JV 4th of 10

Class of the Metro (Walnut Grove) Team 1st of 13, Freshman 1st of 13, Sophomores 2nd of 13, Juniors 2nd of 13, Seniors 3rd of 13

Kearney Invite (Kearney Country Club) Varsity 8th of 19