By Anjuli Niyogi
After competing in Central Coast Section (CCS) on November 17th, the Varsity Girls Cross Country team was ready to run in State Championships only a week later. Although they did place 21st, Tessa Chen, Ashley He, Audrey Kim, Nicole Leon, Tiffany Liang, Madison Wong, and Chloe Xu reached a goal that the team had been attempting to achieve for years.
Although they may not have been the top ranking team at State, their journey to there was a challenge within itself. In CCS, the top three teams in a division go on to State. Junior Audrey Kim described her reaction after finding out her team placed in third: “I was kind of in a state of disbelief and heightened happy shock.” Senior Tessa Chen and the co-captain of Varsity (with Senior Nicole Leon) explained that “this year was special because we had a lot of underclassmen that joined and were pretty driven to become the best runners they could be.” This season, the Cross Country Girls Varsity team featured three seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores. Sophomore Chloe Xu further clarified how “…rare [it is] at Mills when there is a team of seven girls with full commitment, and the scoring five team members are all under 7:30 average mile pace.”
The runners in Cross Country may have a lot of physical strength and endurance, but they also have a great deal of mental perseverance. Xu demonstrated the mentality it takes to succeed: “I’ve seen many runners quit in the season because of the mental strain.” She continued on, describing how even though her team members dread practices most days, they still go anyways because they are committed and driven. Cross Country can also be challenging because of the strenuous toll it takes on your body, especially when you’re not used to such vigorous exercise. Chen has some advice for Cross Country beginners: “When you first start […] it’s going to be exhausting and tiresome and one of the worst things in the world, and you hate life because your legs weren’t made for moving. But then you start attending more practices, you start building up your endurance, you keep your goal in your head, and before you know it, it’s fun exhaustion!”
Although the Cross Country team had very physically and mentally strong runners this season, their journey still was not easy, especially with a new coach. To most of the girls on Cross Country, adjusting to a new coach was difficult. There was a fair share of miscommunications and conflicts surrounding other team members as well. However, it can easily be argued that in any sport, the coach’s actions do not necessarily produce the result of the team’s performance. Kim touched upon this idea, explaining how “an experienced coach can certainly help you improve more than a rookie one can, but if you don’t put in the work, you’ll never get to where you want to be.” Especially in Cross Country, it’s easy to skip that extra mile or stop running all together, but what will really you push you to succeed is your own determination and drive.
Next season, cross country has bigger works in plan. Madison Wong along with a few other underclassmen will be signing up for Foot Locker Regionals. Leo Schroeder, a junior on Boys Varsity Cross Country, will be trying to reach Nationals as well. All in all, the team hopes that both Girls and Boys Varsity Cross Country can reach State together next year. The Thunderbolt would like to congratulate the Cross County team on this year’s success, and wish everyone good luck for next season!
