For the first time in many years, a cross country team has broken out of district is headed to regionals. The girls’ varsity team placed second at the district meet earlier this month and will compete at regionals on Monday.

The team was comprised of freshmen and sophomore Nadia Garcia, and they were new to the serious nature of cross country practices when they started out with coach Sheila Rubel, who is new to the district.

“The start was rough, especially when we ran the two miles for the first time,” freshman Makayla Gilliam said. “There were times when I almost wanted to quit but the coach really inspired me to stick with it.”

Coach Rubel’s words of inspiration were something all of the girls say they used during practices and competitions.

“When I would be running at meets and start to feel tired, I would start to remember what the coach had told us at practice before, ‘it’s only 20 minutes give it your all and then you can rest,’ and this made me push through the tiredness,” freshman Sheri Donaldson said. “It’s my first year to get in shape, and when I started running I truly fell in love with it.”

The girls said they were surprised that they had gone this far and were proud of their accomplishment. Working together was key, they said.

“Regional was our goal from the beginning, but our main focus was to improve our time and gain endurance,” freshman Andrea Garcia said. “We never run alone because we always run as a team.”