Girls varsity cross country came in 5th place during the final race of the season, securing them a spot in the Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff meet.
The 2.9-mile race at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course was the last before CCS. It was a significant race for the Scots, because they needed to be placed in the top five teams to qualify.
“For a lot of these kids, especially non-varsity, it’s their last race of the year. So yeah, it’s definitely pretty big,” said Benjamin Heck, a coach for Carlmont’s girls varsity cross country team.
In the past, Carlmont has been a dominant team in their meets, challenging the limits of the other schools on the track. Â
“Carlmont seems like a friendly team and have done really well the past few weeks,” said Alice Tidwell, a runner for Sequoia’s varsity cross country team.
Unfortunately, multiple members of the team got sick a few weeks before the race, including some who could not attend Saturday’s race due to lasting symptoms. The absence of certain runners and lack of practice affected the team’s overall strength.
“They did pretty solid, seeing as over half of them were not really running last week. Half of them were sick, and some of them are still not feeling great,” Heck said.
Carlmont started off strong, with all runners bursting out of the starting line. The Scots were doing well, staying within the top 40 runners in the first mile. However, the group encountered some resistance as they pushed through the hilly terrain that awaited them.Â
“I went out pretty fast for the first [mile] just because it’s flat, but then after the hill, the rest of it was kind of a struggle,” said Anita Metzler, a sophomore runner for Carlmont. “After the hill, my legs were dead [and] a lot of people passed me.”
Pushing through, the Scots kept a good pace throughout the middle of the race, staying ahead of the majority of the other runners.Â
With the members doing exceptionally well in the final stretch of the race, sophomore Emma Goldman swiftly took 10th place and secured their slot in CCS.Â
Although the Scots qualified for CCS, many members of the team felt they could have performed better and were hungry for more.
“I wasn’t really able to train that much when I had COVID, So I’m just not in my best condition,” Metzler said.
With sickness and the final race behind them, the Scots look excitedly at their future at CCS and perhaps even toward state championships.
“I’m excited to see what we can do next weekend at CCS once everyone’s feeling better,” Metzler said.
