The Girls Cross Country team is off to a strong start, showcasing their dedication and teamwork as they race through a promising new season while setting new personal records.
The team has had major improvements since last year, with new girls joining the group. They have been putting in a lot of dedication and practicing majority of the week.
According to Team Captain Camila Abarca, “The team has been training since July and it’s definitely starting to show.”
The Girls Cross country team coach, Greg Colwell said, “The season has been going great. Almost every girl on the team set a new PR and they are all improving their times from just about every race.”
There have only been three races since the start of the season and the team has consistently placed in the top 15 at every race.
The team had a meet last Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Woodbridge Invitational where the top five Aliso girls were sub-21. Barca improved her time from last year by almost a minute this season and is leading the team this year. She had a highlight of running an 18:45 just this last weekend.
Barca shared, “ This year’s team is a young one, with less experience than we’ve had the past couple of years, but I’ve watched them all put in a lot of hard work and I’m proud of them.”
The team is getting close to the bulk of the season and has been focusing on improving and preparing the team for the upcoming races.
Barca shared, “ We’ve been trying to put a lot of emphasis on running hard on the hard days and easy on the easy days to avoid getting injured and minimize the toll our bodies are taking.”
With new meets coming up this month, the team is focusing on improving at every race as they prepare for their end-of-season goals.
Coach Colwell shared, “Our goal and hopes for this year is to place top 20 in Orange County championships as well as make the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).”
Barca spoke on their goals as well, stating, “Overall, I think there is so much potential for the team, and definitely lots of PRs to uncover, so I’m just grateful to get to lead such a promising group of girls through a very mentally and physically challenging sport.”
As the season progresses, the Aliso Niguel High School Girls Cross Country team remains focused and determined with their goals. They continue to push themselves as a team with every race and strive for excellence. The hard work of all the athletes is truly inspiring and the Aliso Niguel High School community will be cheering on them and their upcoming achievements. We cannot wait to see this team achieve new heights and make their mark on the season.
