Lindy Verhage
MC’s cross country is one of the most decorated sports on campus. Averaging from 25-60 miles a week, cross country runners know dedication and pain. They also know how to host a meet. This past Saturday, Sept. 17, MC hosted their annual invite at Morley Field with upward of 90 teams, more than 5,000 athletes, and teams hailing from out of state.
For senior Laura Moran, this was her last time running at the MC Invite. While it may have been a bittersweet moment, Moran dominated her race, winning first out of 125 competitors. But to Moran, winning wasn’t the highlight of her race.
“Last year I hit my peak in the beginning of the seasons,” Moran said. “I’m not at that point yet which is a good thing for me because I want to be at my peak by the end of the season.”
As Moran surveys her team’s performance, she has her eyes set on November. When asked if she thought her team had a chance of winning CIF, she gave a resounding yes. Moran also predicts her team making it even further.
“Right now I’d say we do make it to state,” Moran said.
Another great performance was seen from junior Samuel Boone, who came in second for his race out of 125 athletes. Boone was part of last year’s boys team that took home a CIF banner, and with fresh faces this year Boone is still hopeful.
“I think we are doing well, we are a very new, very young team. [I think] we are going to be pretty great by the end of this year,” Boone said.
As part of getting the younger runners physically prepared for their races, the team has also been focusing on mental preparedness.
“This year we are really just working on trying to get everyone’s emotions ready for the race,” Boone said.
One of these fresh additions to the team is new coach Chris Jenkins, who can also be spotted teaching math on campus.
“They’re looking very strong,” Jenkins said. “We have a strong expectation here at Mt. Carmel and we reload very quickly.”
Still early in their season, Jenkins has been working on calming his athletes’ minds and solidifying their mental and physical presence for the end of season.
“We’re mostly trying to tell them to be patient,” Jenkins said. “It’s a matter of trusting the training.”
In addition, senior Simeon Paul ran a sound race, coming in second, and fellow seniors Priyanka Shreedar and Jennifer Nguyen placed in the top 20 for their race. Overall the team was strong and performed well, just as they have in the past, and as they will in the future.
