The Aurora City Championships marked the start of the season for the Eaglecrest Boys and Girls cross country team, and the Raptors kicked it off with high results in the Girls and Boys 5000 Meter Runs.
For the girls side, Jenna Winn led the team to first place as well as finishing first in the race as a whole.
Mia Silva also finished in the top 3 and many other Raptors were scattered around in the top 10. This is an impressive start for the girls and an early indicator that they will have a successful year.
Winn credited her team saying “I think our girls team is really strong this year.” This is Eaglecrest’s best chance to win the State Title, with the goal of becoming State Champions no longer being far-fetched.
For the boys side, Cody Campbell and Evan Keppy also had a promising start for the season finishing in the top 10. This early flourishment can boost up the confidence of the runners, with Cody Campbell admitting that this performance brings hope for the rest of the season.
“I am also very excited for my team, we have been training very hard,” Campbell said.
This hard work can pay off to solidify that they are a much better team than last year as well as one of the best in the state. The Raptors as a whole did not have a stellar season last year, as no one in the boys or girls roster made it to the state meet. They are hoping to change that this year. However, they are not the only ones who are in the pursuit of the State Title. Campbell noted that he had to outrun some hard-hitting competition early on in the first race.
“Grandview went out pretty fast because they have a decent team,” said Campbell.
The Wolves went on to have a clean sweep in the top 3 for the boys side, proving that they are the team to beat. For Eaglecrest to catch up to them or get ahead, they have to pick up where they left off and use this success as motivation for the rest of the season.
Even Winn had to struggle for first place in the beginning of the race, indicating that she “was in the top 3 girls for the first mile.” In the end, Grandview trailed behind Winn and secured second place, showing that they are not losing traction. Despite winning the first race of the season, the girls team should not lose focus on their quest for the state title because other teams are not slowing down.
Through it all, though, both teams should celebrate their results in the first race of the season. The results in the Boys 5000 Meter Runs builds hope that this season will spark a change for the better. The outcome in the Girls 5000 Meter marks Eaglecrest as one of the best girls cross country teams in the state and a noticeable threat in the state meet. This race is ultimately a testament of a new phase in Eaglecrest cross county.
