The CHS girls’ cross country team has recently completed its tournament season for the Indiana High School Athletics Association (IHSAA) with a fourth-place award at State. In the post-season, the team then raced in the Nike Regional race, however, didn’t qualify for Nike Nationals. Several individuals from the team will continue on to train for the Foot Locker race on Nov. 24 at the University of Wisconsin Parkside.

Andy Dalton, girls’ cross country head coach, is impressed with the team’s performance this year, despite how young it is.

“I think this year’s season was quite successful. In the beginning of the season we were the strongest team in the state. We had a chance to do something out of the ordinary but it just didn’t quite happen,” Dalton said.

Mea McCormack, senior cross country runner, agrees with Dalton and thinks the team grew this year.

“It wasn’t our strongest season, but I think we learned a lot from this past season and that it’s humbled us,” McCormack said.

According to Dalton, the only thing he would’ve changed this year was the intensity of the week of State.

“The only thing I might’ve changed as a coach, especially going into State, is the girls were pretty focused, almost a little bit too focused, which turned into nerves, and they kind of tightened up a bit, so I probably would have lightened things up a little bit the week of State,” Dalton said.

Dalton also said he is looking forward to next year and the returning talent as he begins to prepare for the 2019 cross country season

“We’re always looking ahead to next year. The upcoming middle schoolers, which is why we run a club program, will be joining us, so that’s a big part of our future,” Dalton said. “We might not have reached the pinnacle of what we wanted to this year, but we are actually a very young team. At the State meet we ran two upperclassmen, and the rest of them were all freshman and sophomores, so that is good for our future.”

For anyone considering joining the team next year, McCormack suggests planning and preparing in advance.

McCormack said, “Prepare before you come. We do have cuts and it makes the season so much better if you don’t have to spend the first month trying to get into shape.”