Cross country team is head of the class

Coming off a tenth place finish at the community college state championships, the PCC cross country team's season gave them their best finish in fifteen years.

It wasn't all smiles and success as the team suffered many setbacks early on, including losing runners and struggling to adapt to the change of pace from training to competition.

Already short-staffed, the men's team lost four runners, leaving them with seven eligible runners—the minimum number needed to compete.

Chris Le lamented on the struggles of competing with such a small team. " All of us had to step up; people had to fill in the gaps for those we lost," he said.

Another men's runner, Angus Leung, expressed his feelings in one succinct statement. "Winners make commitments, losers make promises," he said.

Commitment became a continuing theme for the team as the season progressed.

Women's runner Diane Lombardi conveyed how the team started to experience success once members started bonding and working together. "We got closer and closer; we became a wolfpack," she said.

Proof of their success as a team was most evident in the women's tenth place standings at state. "It was our best team time," Lombardi said. "We beat teams that had beaten us early in the season."

The men's team didn't go empty-handed this season either, medaling at the Brubaker Invitational, a feat that had not been accomplished in 10 years.

Head Coach Armand Crespo emphasized the importance of the commitment and dedication of the team.

"If you don't have that hunger, you're not going to succeed. The worst thing that can happen to them is finishing a season and not being satisfied," he said. "With that being said, I think it's safe to say that we can make it to state every year. The success and dedication of this year's team will ensure that."

Runners then hinted at the limited popularity of their sport, looking to improve its general perception. "People can't really tell how competitive the sport is," Leung said. "It's more competitive than any sport I've ever played."

Lombardi agreed with Leung's statement, adding, "the sport is a competition with your mind. Most of it is mental; it's feeding off of other peoples' weaknesses," she said.

The team has high hopes for next season, looking to build off the momentum of this season's success. "We've come far from so little," Crespo said, "and we have so far to go."