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October 14, 2009
Kaylee Miu
1. 53 runners; 14 varsity
Cross Country is one of the largest sports teams at Washington, with 14 varsity runners. Though there has been a shortage of girls on the team in previous years, this season it is evenly split, creating a solid girls team. The JV girls defeated Mission San Jose Oct. 7.
“Our girls are stronger than ever this year,” junior Jessica Gerards said. With all returning runners, the girls varsity team continues to grow as a team.
2. Varsity Boys have won the league title for the past 3 years in a row.
For the past three years, the varsity boys’ team has had a perfect season; undefeated and owning the league title. In 2007, the boys’ team placed 4th at the North Coast Sectionals, and in 2008, they took 2nd, only 4 points shy of making it to state. 4 varsity runners graduated, but a strong team continues with new incoming runners.
With a tough loss of graduating 4 of the 7 varsity runners, most teams would be set back in league. However, the impact isn’t as bad for the huskies, especially with fast incoming freshmen and upperclassmen stepping up their game to fill in their shoes.
“Running varsity is a lot more fast pace than racing for CYO. Everyone is really focused and serious about running in general,” freshman Jessica yee said.
3. Roaming Practices
There is no set practice location for the cross country team. They typically run from school to Quarry lakes, approximately 3 miles round-trip, then once at Quarry Lakes, they then take a run around either “big lake” or “baby lake.”
“We easily run over 500 miles a season,” senior Ben Rich said.
4. More injuries than football!
Cross Country is classified as a non-contact sport, yet many runners every year are put on the injured list. So what’s going on? According to team members, calf, hamstring, quadricep, and shin injuries are frequent every season and require weeks to recover. So why run?
“I run because i love the exhileration and feeling of it,” sophomore Sameed Siddiqui said.
