St. Dominic’s cross country team is running a great season. With strong competitors for both the guys and girls, the team is in a full sprint towards districts.

On Saturday, September 30, the ladies triumphed at the Priory meet, winning five individual medals and taking second place as a team. Yesterday, they competed at Lutheran St. Charles, where many team members ran their personal best time. The cross country ladies sweat, breathe and laugh together, making them a real team.

“We are one big family! As runners, we are always asked about running and why we put ourselves through it. If you were to come to a practice, you would understand. We mess around with each other when we can, but will get serious when it’s time to get serious. We push each other to reach our goals and that’s how we grow our family bond,” said junior Madeline Stewart.

“Running can help relieve stress. Whenever something is going on in my life, I look forward to going to a cross country meet or practice. Running isn’t necessarily fun, but running with other people can be very exciting,” said freshman Abby Alvord.

The cross country boys are having a great season as well. With all the work they put in, they are getting a lot of valuable experience out of it. While the running may be tough, they push through as a family.

“Week by week we’re doing multiple workouts if we can, otherwise we’ve got a meet about every week to tune us into our zone,” said senior Dan Faust.

“I love being on the team because I have so much fun with these people and we always find something to amuse us. For example, a few practices ago, I brought out my dinosaur piñata and started running with him in my arms. It was challenging, but I ran all three miles with him,” said senior Conner Havrilla.

Whether you’re in it for the fun or the run, cross country is a sport with a lot of dedicated athletes. Their district meet is on October 28 at Warrenton. Make it out to a cross country meet and see what this team is all about!