Coach Justin Eddy took the girls cross country team to compete at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival Sept. 21. 

Running against different teams, they landed a first place title in the 5A division, earning them medals.

“I was beyond excited about learning the girls placed first,”Coach Eddy said. “I had to stare at the results for a while until it sunk in. The Lovejoy XC Fall Festival is a prestigious meet and for our girls to go out there and win the division is a testimony to the hard work and dedication that they have been showing all season long.”

The team’s goal for the meet was only to experience the course, as it is where district will take place.

“We were wanting to close gap times between our top seven runners,” Coach Eddy said. “Smaller gap times equal better results. Our girls team was able to show growth in this area which helped us win the 5A-6A Division.”

During the race, the girls had to stay focused on their goals and not let outside distractions get in their way.

“When we got in the line to race, I was very nervous to start,” senior Whitney Melton said. “As the race progressed, my nerves went away and I was more focused. I was also excited because I knew I was running a faster time this week.”

The girls were beyond happy when they learned the results of the meet. The hard work they’ve put in since the summer, was paying off.

“Coach came and showed me a picture of the results and told me to read the results,” Melton said. “When I told all the girls that we got first, we were all very excited and I literally jumped for joy. It had honestly made our day.”

Going into the rest of the season, Coach Eddy and the team have their minds set on the District meet. The girls will compete at the Jesuit Cross Country meet Oct. 4 and hope to continue to improve their times with each meet.

“We have two meets left before district. Our plan is to continue to compete, build our confidence, and be mentally prepared for district,” Eddy said.