On Nov. 17 the girls and boys Varsity Cross Country team headed off to Tallahassee Apalachee Regional Park to compete in the Class 2A FHSAA State Championship.

The Cross Country team started off their season in June, running together in Tropical Park or on their own. This preseason training even included a team trip to Colorado to run at a high altitude. The team trained week after week and focused on being at their best for this race.

After a near qualification from both in the Regional meet the girls qualified for a fifth time in a row to the State Championship, while the boys team qualified after missing out last year.

“I am really happy we qualified this year after missing out last year. I am really proud of our team because even if two people dropped out we still made it,” sophomore Tim Rutten said.

At States,the girls team was led by freshman Aleah Sawyer with a time of 20:29 minutes for the 5 kilometers race. Whilst the boys were led by the team captain Tim Rutten who ran 17:05 minutes. With a total of 392 points the girls team placed 13th out of 32 teams, while the boys placed 18th with a score of 450 points.

“I felt really proud of myself for being the first place in the team because I worked really hard all season to achieve it,” Sawyer said. “Being able to get my PR in States and help my team be higher in ranking was really a great way to end the season.”
Sawyer was followed by junior Alessandra Di Mise, whose time was 20:45 and who has been a part of every team that qualified to states the past 5 years.

“I love seeing how the team has progressed and worked so hard each year to qualify for states and run our best possible each time,” said Di Mise. “Going to States is a reward after such a long season of work and it also is a fun experience with everyone on the team.”

Not only were runners on the team were overjoyed, but also the coaching staff who prepared the team and worked to ensure their team’s success.

“I am really proud of both teams for fulfilling my expectations and qualifying for states which is not easy,” Coach David Suarez said. “Every single member was ready for the race and gave it their all for themselves and for their team.”