With practice comes speed and stamina that all athletes seek to achieve. These are two things that our Varsity Boys Cross Country team has been known to possess in recent years.
A recent 2nd-place finish in state competition won them a place in the Nike Cross Southeast Regional Meet. But the path that led them there was not an easy one. It contained several trials and moments of doubt.
The Nike competition appeared only as a dream at the start of the season.
“It just takes a lot to get there,” said senior Evan Fabish. “Based off what we ran the previous year, we wouldn’t have made it.” The team endured several bumps in the road throughout the season and the boys had to unite as one team, which is easier said than done. Though it took time, the runners did eventually come together.

“[They] had the maturity to understand that they had some big opportunities in front of them if they ran as a cohesive unit,” said their coach, Christopher Pellegrini.
The rest of the season would require a unified team willing to face the long road ahead. Additionally, the team’s mile times were not looking so good at one point.
“It got real questionable, we weren’t running the fast times we were supposed to” said Fabish.
But the boys team took States by storm, ultimately placing second, rounding out Spartan success in the meet with an 7th-place finish for the girls team. The boys then found themselves headed for the Nike meet to run in a field of 36 top teams. Preparation began immediately for their next big competition.
“We [had] just been keepin up our mileage [and] running. We run a lot,” said senior Andrew Smith.
When arriving at the location of the biggest race of their season, the team had the chance to practice on the race course ahead of time. When the time to compete finally arrived, the team found itself surrounded by other runners.
“There were people everywhere, so you couldn’t really tell where you were in the race, you just had to go off what your body felt”, said Fabish.
The swarm of runners all bustled toward the finish line with the same competitive spirit. The race concluded with the Spartans coming in 12th.
“As a team we also did worse than we thought we would,” said Fabish.
With the results finally in, a successful season came to an end. For many on the team, this race marked the end of their time running on Spartan XC. As seniors this year, the finish line represented the end of one chapter and the opportunity to begin another. At the beginning of the season no one could have foreseen what lay ahead. The team emerged from its last race stronger than ever before.
“They understood the true nature of cross country racing and how to stay close to each other,” said Coach Christopher Pellegrini.