The West Chicago Community High School boys’ and girls’ cross country teams competed on one of the flattest courses of the season on Oct. 18 at Elmwood Park High School. Whether a freshman or senior, each runner had goals to exceed and records to break — and many did just that.
“I shaved off three minutes of the 5k,” freshman Elizabeth McLean said. “I want to break 20, because I know I can do it, and then also to have fun.”
The 5K, equivalent to 3.1 miles, is the standard race distance for high school cross country. Shaving down times and setting goals are key motivators for these athletes.
“We just got to build the team up again,” junior Noah Case said. “We’ve got some good upcoming freshmen who are going to be on varsity, so we just got to make a new pack.”
A “pack” is a team strategy that keeps runners at similar paces, helping them stay consistent and move up in rankings together.
“It’s been really tough mentally,” senior Cecilia Ayala said. “All of the runs have been really hard for me, but now after we beat this one girl, it’s all better.”
Ayala, a four-year member of the cross country team, was injured her sophomore year but stayed involved as a dedicated manager. For her and the rest of the team, consistency and teamwork make the victories even more meaningful.
“Next year, I would definitely say just getting lower seventeens,” Case said. “And trying to place higher at the Conference meet.”
Overall, the varsity boys placed seventh out of twelve, and the girls placed eleventh out of thirteen. It may not have been their strongest finish, but with new runners and continued effort, the Wildcats are already looking ahead to improvement.
