This season is off the an exciting start for the St. Gen girls team. Tell us about the atmosphere.
Everyone involved here is extremely excited about the potential our girls team has this season. We were very fortunate to have had several girls join the team this year. The atmosphere is quite different from last year when we ended up with only three girls (Shelby Werner, Abby Pfaff, and me) to race at Districts. Now that we actually have a full team, all eleven of us have to work with one another and be positive teammates to make ourselves the best unit possible. We have some dynamic personalities that make for a very interesting and fun group. It is also nice to have some experience racing varsity in the form of Shelby and me. Overall, I think everybody on the team understands the depth of what we can do this year if everybody stays focused, trains correctly, and makes good decisions. We can't wait to keep competing as a team and discovering our capabilities!
It looks like you didn't start running XC until your junior year - How did you get started?
I didn't actually start racing until my junior year, but I joined the team as a sophomore. I was injured before the start of that season, however, because I had not trained enough during the summer. I got healthy toward the end of the season, though, and was able to train for a couple of weeks and then run the open race at Districts (my coach was curious about what my abilities would be). I ran a 22:42. That and being moderately successful in JV track meets that spring was encouragement enough to not give up on cross. That summer, I did everything my coach asked me: Sunday long runs, two-a-days, training by myself, etc. I also went to Joe Bill Dixon's Wilderness Running Camp with Shelby Werner. It all paid off that autumn and it was an extraordinary first season for me.
You took 21st last year at state - What are your goals for this season, individually and as a team?
As a team, we have high expectations for ourselves and from our coaches. We have some girls with talent and a good general work ethic as well as some irreplaceable coaches. We will be working hard all season for regular meets, but the races that really count to us (Districts and State) are ultimately what we are thinking about. We will strive to improve ourselves as a team throughout the season in order to be as competitive as possible during those two competitions.
Individually, I am looking to improve upon my performances from last year. I aim to have my own fulfilling season as a senior and I hope that along with the team aspect everybody else can meet their own personal goals. As far as Districts and State go, I am hoping to qualify individually and finish as an all-stater in the top fifteen.
Where do you race next?
Our next race is the Hancock Invitational at Jefferson Barracks. It is next Saturday, September 22.