PV’s Men and Women’s cross country teams are looking forward to this upcoming season. The men won state last year, and are excited to see what they can do with what seems to be an even stronger and unified team compared to last year. With the top seven men breaking school records as well as setting personal records, they are optimistic to what the future holds.
Unfortunately, the women didn’t do as well at state as they would have liked, but Mallory Lafever is not letting the past control the future. She said, “Our summer training was the best it has ever been… If we improve our mental toughness, we are capable of winning a state championship at the end of October.” As a team, they are really trying to push the team to achieve what they know they can accomplish at state.
Unfortunately, the Spartans and their opponents were distraught by the news on Saturday morning, confirming that the Spartan Invite was cancelled due to weather. The Spartan Challenge is a very popular annual meet.
Teams travel from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and all over Iowa. The challenging hills, sand trails, and dense woods pose a challenge for many. No matter how much the course makes you suffer, some are not to happy about the decision, “Since it’s my senior year I was really looking forward to running our invite one more time” says Gavin Smith, a varsity runner for the men. Teams travel for more than 6 hours to run at crow creek.
Coach Sacco of the men’s team optimistically said “I think the lost opportunity will make us better in the long run. Sometimes when athletes miss the opportunity to compete, it makes them hungrier for competition. I’m not worried about our guys losing their competitive edge… I’m confident that Tuesdays hard effort at practice will prepare us for Thursdays races at Cedar Rapids and Marshalltown.”
Both teams are preparing for their second meet of the season on Thursday in Cedar Rapids. While the junior varsity teams will run at the Cedar Rapids meet, the varsity runners will compete at the Marshalltown invite on the same day. Both teams have seven to eight races during the normal season. The next big meet in town will be the MAC meet. As of now, it is scheduled to be held at West Lake Park, just like last year.
With more races coming, it is easy to go and cheer on your fellow Spartans. Visit the high school athletics page to see the two cross country teams websites for meets, personal records, pictures and much more!
