Henry Wang

Yuan finishes out the race with a time of 17:59, placing 16th. “I’ve run [at Burke Lake] a bunch of times. [It] makes you more experienced, so you know your general race strategy [and] to not go too fast,” Yuan said. “Practices [have been] helpful because they build up your general aerobic ability. They generally make you better [prepared].”

On Oct. 21 at Burke Lake, the Jefferson boy’s junior varsity cross country team showed their grit and determination, achieving an impressive fourth place at the junior varsity Jamboree meet.

Leading up to the race, the team felt prepared and excited for the meet, being familiar with race conditions before.

“[Burke Lake] is a course that I’ve run a lot, and it’s shorter than a normal 5k course,” senior Aidan Wright said. “I’m definitely prepared for it. I know where all the hills are. I can conserve my energy at the right places and then kick at the right places.”

Despite showing confidence, the team felt pressure before the meet. Earlier in the season, the team dealt with several challenges, including injuries.

“It’s been a little bit of a rough season for the team in general,” Wright said. “People have been out with injuries and are now back. Some people have stayed out. Other people have been sick.”

Junior Justin Yuan experienced the challenge of being injured during this season. Despite this, he placed 16th out of 210 racers and felt proud of his performance.

“I [was] injured for most of the season,” Yuan said. “This is my second race back. I ran a good time and I didn’t leave anything in the tank.”

The team was mostly content with the result of the race, feeling proud of overcoming the several challenges they faced during the season.

“I’m actually really proud of [how] the team did,” Yuan said. “I think both our varsity and our junior varsity team have done really well. I know a lot of the guys ran great times [during the meet].”

Head cross country coach Todd Withington also shared his satisfaction with the team, reflecting on the team’s long journey all throughout the season.

“I think the team did great,” Withington said. “They battled through. They’ve been training all summer long. [It] came down to today and they raced their hearts out.”

While the team did well overall, both the racers and the coach felt there was room for improvement.

“Things that we could improve on are just watching our nutrition [and] watching our sleep habits,” Withington said. “It [prepares] your body for the race.”

Wright also felt there were some parts of his performance that he could improve on, specifically during the race itself.

“I definitely want to improve my middle-of-the-race psychology,” Wright said. “[Cross country] is a very mental sport, and the motivation to keep going is a big factor. Your body is what it is, but you can actually make it do even harder things and push harder if you have the motivation.”

One of the main things that led the team to success was their consistency and dedication all throughout the season.“The success of the team is [based on] the commitment that they put in,” Withington said. “The time that they put in and everything that goes into prepping way back in June and July, it all pays off in the end.”