The first cross country meet was on Sept. 5 in Clearwater. This is the third season for cross country since 2001.
The team is a lot smaller this year compared to previous years. Craig Frederick is still the coach. Junior Sydney Zoglmann is the only athlete who participated in this meet. She beat her time from last year by almost a minute, placing 10th in the 5000 meter.
“I would like to have more, but it’s not for everybody,” Frederick said, “and I understand that it takes a strong, mentally tough individual to do it.”
Zoglmann shared some of her strengths when it comes to the sport.
“I think my mindset is my biggest strength when it comes to cross country, just because I’ve struggled with a negative attitude,” she said. “Now I’ve resorted back to being more positive.”
Zoglmann said she felt as though she has been improving throughout the practices.
“I think I made really big improvements, if we’re talking from the beginning of the year,” she said. “I’ve gotten faster through different time trials we’ve done. I can tell that I’m getting better.”
Freshman Gus Hemberger is new to the sport, and he has some goals for the season.
“I think I’m going to place this year,” he said. “I have made a lot of progress since the first day of practice to today. I was not pacing myself correctly the first couple of days. Towards the end, or towards more recently my pace has gone better. I have been able to breathe better whenever I run. I can run a lot longer without getting sore.”
