On Wednesday, Oct. 12, teams from Issaquah High School, Eastlake High School, and Newport High School gathered at Kelsey Creek Park for a meet that was monumental for all parties involved. At the last meet before Kingco Sub Varsity Invitationals, energy was high, and runners were motivated. Sophomore Georgia Short says, “Since we are nearing the end of the season and approaching post-season, we are trying to ramp down the intensity so we do not get injured, but we are all still working really hard, racing every week.” This hard work was certainly apparent today as our team raced in the Women’s 5k. Issaquah’s own, Junior Mary Jane Harig scored first place, with an astonishing time of 19:27:5. Seven other Issaquah girls ended in the top 20 fastest times. In the end, Issaquah overall ranked in second, with Eastlake clenching the first place title, and Newport following in third. This rank is calculated through the average number of runners per school in the top 20. Considering that the Issaquah girl’s cross-country team made up only 28 of the 87 runners in the women’s 5k on Wednesday, Issaquah dominating nearly half of the top 20 is certainly a remarkable success. 

Runners have also been achieving victories on a personal level. Head Coach Liza Rickey says, “Ninety-five perscent of students have been achieving personal records lately.” In any sport, both mental and physical challenges exist, and athletes are faced with the task, and eventually triumph, of overcoming them. Senior Kate Yahn says, “It has been a lot harder than I expected, both physically and mentally, especially the mental challenges that I have to run a lot faster to achieve the times I want. Getting over that barrier is important.” 

Approaching Kingco, Districts, and State competitions, senior Anna Jensen says, “Both our girls and boys teams are pretty strong. I think our girls’ team is ranked fourth in the state, so we are looking good for the upcoming matches.” Both students and coaches are building up excitement for the girls’ cross-country team’s near future. Rickey adds, “We anticipate going to state with both our boys’ and girls’ squad, and being on the podium, which is the Top Four.”  

Overall, Issaquah’s Girls’ Cross Country team has many things to look forward to and has all the odds in their favor. If the team continues to do whatever it has been doing lately, many victories lie ahead.