Brows knitted in concentration, junior Benita Egorah raced to the finish line in her final lap at the cross country regional meet in Lubbock.

For the fourth consecutive year, the girls’ cross country team qualified for the regional competition, and six students competed in October. The total team time was 1:58:28, placing them 24th.

“The course was difficult to breathe on because of all of the dust,” junior Finlay Donovan said. “But everyone ran their hardest and finished strong.”

Donovan and Melissa Zapata led their team this season as captains.

“It was an amazing experience, and the team all together made it better,” Zapata said. “It was a little stressful, but working with Finlay definitely made it easier.”

Several runners emphasized the importance of working hard during times when running isn’t easy.

“‘Hard work pays off,’ that’s what I say to myself when I’m running because it motivates me into believing that I can achieve the goals I set,” Zapata said.

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams began practicing for the season at the beginning of the summer. The team prepared for meets by running varying distances, lifting weights and doing other drills.

“The whole team was working very hard, and our workouts had been getting progressively faster and harder throughout the season and over summer break,” Donovan said.

The team competed in several meets during the season, some saying the varying courses made things difficult.

“Some terrain had multiple hills and turns that really get to an individual’s head and messes up their pace,” Egorah said. Qualifying for the regional competition in previous years benefited the girls when they returned to Mae Simmons Park again this year.

“I think having made regionals the last few years has helped us because we know what the expectations are and how much work and determination it takes to reach that level of competition,” Donovan said.

This year marked Donovan and Egorah’s third year of qualifying for the regional meet, and they have seen improvements in their strategy and team dynamic.

“We all became closer and kept each other encouraged and accountable,” Egorah said. “I am grateful to be a part of the team because it has taught me that the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”