Would you spend hours at a meet where a majority of what you did was run? For those of us who aren’t runners the answer is probably no, but for the hard working athletes on cross country not only is that a yes, but they did that nine times this season. 

While it takes a person who loves running to spend time at practices that last about two hours and meets that can last from three to as much as 10 hours, depending on the type of meet, most on the team will agree that their favorite part of cross country isn’t the cardio. 

“My favorite parts of running are the team and the coaches…You meet so many new people and really learn how to support and cheer on everyone,” says Lucy Eichelberger, freshman and first year cross country runner.

That sentiment is shared by Luke Gillingham, senior, who has been on the team since freshman year and is one of six captains for the 2023 season. “I plan to continue the sport at a collegiate level next year so I won’t be stopping running anytime soon, but I will most definitely miss my teammates here at Shorewood and running around Shoreline with them,” Gillingham said.

This has been a great season for all who participated, both teams doing fantastic at districts. It is also the first season since 1984 that girls and boys have qualified for state at the same time. Girls did great, placing 19th overall, and boys came in 5th. “Coming in ranked 2nd, it would be easy to be disappointed taking 5th and narrowly missing out on a trophy by a mere four points, but despite that I’m very proud of everyone and I think we’ve come a long way since my Sophomore year when we missed out on state altogether,” says Gillingham.

As a freshman making state is a huge achievement, one that Eichelberger did not expect to get. “Going into the season I didn’t expect to end up at state and it really was so much of my coaches and my teammates’ encouragement and support for me to get there,” Eichelberger says.

Of course it takes a lot of time and effort to attain the goals the cross country has accomplished, and similar to a lot of students the cross country athletes tend to have a lot on their plate. Otto Erhart, junior and third year cross country runner, says that though it is time consuming he doesn’t mind the extra work. “It provides a nice way of clearing your mind off a hard paper and I find running to really be a huge stress reliever when you’re upset or down.”

It’s hard to deny the sheer skill and talent of these dedicated athletes. If you wish to join in the cross country fun, Erhart has one piece of advice for you, “I would say join it, try it out and be patient, it’s not going to be much fun at first but if you are hardworking and put the work in I find it to be a very rewarding sport.”