Cross Country is a sport specialized in endurance and mental toughness. One that is especially hard to master and here at Sage Creek, the Cross Country team has always been extremely talented due to the immense potential of the student athletes ranging across all grades. 

Max Marchi, a freshman on the varsity team, explains what the team has done to perform so strongly in the 2022 season. 

“This year our team performed very well, our team this year had a very tight spread, which basically means our runner times are all close together,” Marchi said. “This is essential for placing well.”

Senior Malia Leupold builds off of Marchi’s explanation for their remarkable season and explains how peaking at the right time

can make all the difference between a good and great season. 

“Our coach really emphasized peaking at the end of the season and peaking at the right time,” Leupold said. 

Both teams did just that. After the girls team placed fourth and boys won Division 3 at CIF, both teams moved on to the state championship. This accomplishment was a highlight for players across the board. 

“Definitely going to state champs was a really cool experience, we ended up getting 9th place for Division 3,” senior Belle Carleton, a runner for the girls team, said.  

“Highlight of our season had to be at our CIF meet when the girls team had gotten 4th overall and the boys had gotten first,” Marchi said. 

Even though qualifying and competing well in states was monumental for these teams, the bonding and connections they made with one another seems to be just as impactful. 

“It was really cool to qualify as a team and get to do that together,” Leupold said. “We got to bring more people [to the meet], which means there was a lot of team bonding.”

But for the senior runners, the closing of the cross country season was a somewhat bittersweet end.

“Because I’m a senior it’s a little bit sad because it’s my last season,” Leupold expressed. 

Even with her sports career ending at Sage, she still plans on supporting our Bobcats next year from the sidelines. 

“I am still going to follow Sage Creek and how they perform next year because there are a lot of talented Juniors on the team and I think their senior season is going to be very remarkable.” 

Even though cross country has had a spectacular season, the players believe there are still things they can do to perform at an even higher level next year. 

“I look forward to getting even faster next year and seeing the progress everyone else makes too,” Marchi added.

Cross country has worked extremely hard to achieve a rewarding season and it seems like they are only going to perform better next season.