This past week, on Thursday Nov 7, the Annandale Boys and Girls Cross Country teams ran in their regional race. The race was held at Burke Lake Park and showcased schools from across the county running for a chance at States. 

For Annandale, the very best seven boys and girls were selected to run in this year’s regional race. 

On the girls side, sophomore Julia Ghiseli took home the gold and moved on to States. The girls as a whole ran a great race, continuing their trend of success. 

As for the boys, the team ran at a historic pace as the entire team almost qualified for states. Still, multiple boys qualified for states for the first time in 30 years, making their mark in the Annandale history books. 

Although the regional championship serves as yet another step on the road to greater glory for some runners, for many it is the end of their season. 

“I knew regionals was my last chance to do my best so it made me really excited,” senior Gabriela Alarcon said. 

“It made me push myself even more so I could say that I finished the season strong.”

The season’s ending can be emotional for many runners, especially for those who will not be returning next year. However, many appreciate the experience and cherish the memories of past seasons.

“I feel happy that I can recover after a long season but still emotional since it was my last XC season with my team,” Alarcon said. 

AS the boys faced adversity and disappointment at times this year, the season’s end was especially emotional for many. The boys had trained all year to win the district for the third year in a row and place top three in regionals. 

However, all did not go as planned for the boys as they missed their mark by a tiny margin placing second in the district and fourth in the region. 

Despite this, sophomore Abel Mehari still had many things to reflect on and celebrate this season.

“We did many things we wanted to but things turned out a little differently than we expected,” Mehari said. 

“However, we can use the lessons from this great season to correct our errors and come out the better team.”

Mehari, along with senior Miky Sahlu, will represent the boys at the State level and try to continue the success of the team and themselves. 

With Annandale having representatives from both the boys and girls teams, the runners look to continue the tradition of Cross Country excellence.