Cross Country Win Big at the AIA State Cross Country Tournament

Last Saturday, November 16, the qualifiers of Cross Country attended the Division III AIA State Cross Country Tournament. The qualifiers were Nardia Padilla, Lauren Hansen, Devon Baggot, Eryca Fawkes, Isabel Brady, Elizabeth Nakia, Zoe Turnbow, Hannah Tsay, Hallie Melonson, Ethan Fawkes, Oliver Williams, Curtis Wilkerson, Matt Furcone, Advik Venkatesh, Collin Ramey, Abraham Troop, Jayden Brown, and Jaylen Brown. Exactly 52 schools from Division III competed during this weekend. Overall,Girls Cross Country finished in 10th place and Boys Cross Country finished in 29th place.

This week, I interviewed one of the qualifiers, Isabel Brady. She’s a freshman, does competitive dance year-round, and it’s her first year in cross country as well.

Q: What was your reaction when you found out that you were a qualifier for state?

A: When I found out my team and I had qualified for state, I was very excited about it! It was great to know that our hard work had payed off, and I was ready to work harder.

Q:What events did the team participate in and how did everyone prepare for them?

A: Everyone on the team did a 5K run, which is about 3.1 miles. To train, we did multiple runs of minimum 4 miles without stopping, and we did other training up hills and through parks.

Q: How did the team and yourself do?

A: Our team placed 10th out of 24 teams, which we were all happy with. I was thrilled placing 22nd out of 178 girls.

Q: What is motivating you to continue doing Cross Country?

A: My motivation for cross country was to join a school sport and meet new people.

Q: What was one of your favorite memories during the tournament?

A: One of my favorite memories during state was hearing my teammates cheer for me and running through the finish line because there’s an amazing feeling of accomplishment and joy when that happens.

Q: Would you recommend Cross Country to others and why?

A: I would definitely recommend cross country to anyone wanting to be active while having a memorable experience. The upperclassmen were willing to share their experience with me, which I appreciated. Cross country teaches you how to be a good teammate, and it challenges you to be a competitive individual.

Congratulations to Cross Country; this season was truly amazing and we are so proud of all the hard work you have done this year!