The girls on the cross country team are performing well this season. The team consists of 22 girls, which is significant.
“We have our largest team in 4 years, and our girls are doing an outstanding job in practices and at meets,” Coach John Prieboy said.
They have been working hard, and have dedicated a lot of their time to the team.
“This season is going great. We are working together and becoming better runners and people,” Lucy Feliciano, junior, said.
The team works with a varity of different aerobic excersises to prepare them for their meets.
“We do a long aerobic run of up to 80 minutes, we run 1000m intervals on short rest, and do injury prevention work, including hip mobility and strength work,” Prieboy said. “We also have a group of girls who run in the morning at 5:30 a.m. along with after school practice.”
Although running seems like an individual sport, their points add up to an overall score. This creates goals for the team as a whole.
“Our team goal is to qualify for sectionals as a whole team, not just individual runners,” Colette Burrows, sophomore, said.
The team also bonds during their pasta dinners, which they have before every meet.
“Our whole team is a family. Every Friday before our big Saturday meet, one of the cross country families holds a pasta party where we carbo-load for the big meet the next day,” Burrows said.
The team has also had memorable moments.
“The team scored second just behind Plainfield North for the ATY championships,” Feliciano said.
“Our freshman-sophomore team placed first in the Plainfield City championships, and we won our senior night meet with only 18 points,” Burrows said.
The team has two meets a week, and an invitational at the end of the week which can include anywhere from 12-30 teams competing.
Their next meet is Oct. 30 at home.