Another year has passed, which means cross country is back in season, and the girls team is ready to go. The team is already extremely successful, winning three state championships in a row. Now that year four has arrived, many are posing the question: will the girls cross country team achieve a four-peat?
“We as a team are very capable of winning again, it won’t be easy, and we will have to work hard, but we have the potential, speed and will power to do it,” junior Sophie Brooks said.
This past cross country season was victorious on both sides. The girls and boys teams won district, regionals and state, displaying how the athletes dominate each meet they enter.
“I think last season went well,” junior Bridget Bernal said. “We worked as a team to accomplish our goals and put each other first.”
Now that the new season has begun, the team is changing some things up. The team is attempting to improve their performance under pressure and improve the execution of race strategies.
“Going into this year with new teams in our district, I know that we are watching out for some schools we’ve never competed against,” senior Rachel Dobbs said.
The season starting only continues the amount of practice the teams have had. In order to be the best of the best, the girls team trains hard and recovers well. There are workouts on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays in the mornings and recovery runs on Tuesday and Thursday. There are also long mile runs on the weekends, with runners running six to nine miles.
“To prepare for a meet, we all do a short shakeout run, ice bath and load up on carbs for dinner,” Dobbs said. “Every person has their own pre race routine, and it helps create structure and ease on the morning of the race.”
The head girls coach Carly Littlefield is ready to go and is hyped to prepare her team. This year she is being precise and is working the team hard by choosing the most beneficial workouts and increasing the amount of weight training in order to prepare for the hard courses the team will run on this season.
“Coach Littlefield loves to motivate us and lead us to success,” junior Kaylee Martin said. “We are all so grateful to have her as a coach; she is able to spread her knowledge and prepare us for success.”
The whole season is in preparation for districts, regionals and state, and there are many rival schools that they are looking forward to crushing. Aledo, Highland Park and Colleyville Heritage are the main competitors for this season.
“I would say that every meet is pretty important,” Martin said. “We only have three real meets to practice our racing for UIL competition, so it’s really important to take these races in.”
There are new, strong athletes this year, and they are ready to eliminate any uncertanities toward Lovejoy completing their four-peat. Although there were a loss of players, the girls are ready to show off their strong runners.
“We have already had some major improvements from girls who are looking to step up and fill new roles this year,” Littlefield said. “Sophie Brooks is a big up and comer, and we are planning to get both her and Camryn on the podium at state.”
The girls cross country team is ready for this season, and there is no doubt that with their rigorous training, well-prepared coach and excellent athletes, they will seize the victory and secure the four-peat.
“There is never doubt,” Littlefield said. “However, it is a game of staying healthy and being prepared when the big day comes. The mental preparation and toughness that the girls will need all comes down to one moment in time on November 2nd. The bottom line is: how bad do we want it and what are we willing to lay on the line to achieve it? Everything must align on that day to bring home the gold.”
