The cross country team wrapped up their season with runners improving their times and one runner representing Warsaw at the state meet.
Sophomore Wesley Jackson competed in Columbia on Nov. 4 after qualifying for the state meet at the Oct. 28 district meet where he finished 26th with a time of 17.47.19. Jackson placed 88th out of 168 runners at state with a personal record time of 17.38.70.
“I placed 88th and feel pretty good. Although I placed high, there were a lot of people that were really fast,” Jackson said, “I feel great about making state. It is definitely my biggest accomplishment this year.”
Jackson, along with his teammates, improved throughout the season.
“The athletes improve when they work hard and push through mental barriers. XC is a mentally demanding sport. You do not just make a play and then get to rest and think about the next one. Once you start you have to keep your head on straight through the entirety of the race,” coach Ehren Banfield said.
The cross country runners improved their mindset from the beginning of the year.
“I have worked towards having a better mindset this year. In the past, I have just gone out and run for fun but this year I was really trying to compete,” junior Jaxson Deckard said.
They also did much conditioning to improve their running.
“I went to summer weights over the summer to get stronger and trained harder in the early season,” sophomore Brayden Henderson said.
Some runners earned a new personal best during the season.
“24:28 was my best time this season and that was better than my time last year by about a minute,” Henderson said.
“I have improved a ton from the start of the season, from 19 something to 17:38 was a huge jump,” Jackson said.
The runners learned about hard work.
“They have learned that hard work does make them better athletes and runners. Throughout the season, athletes are always setting personal records with lowering their times, so they can see that the work they put in does matter,” Banfield said.