WGHS Cross Country Team Carries On Their Season At Apalachee

Image by: WGHS XC Instagram

On Saturday, September 19, the WGHS Varsity Cross Country team showed a remarkable performance at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA.
by Arianna Riveron and Amelia Nandkishwar

On Saturday, September 19, the WGHS varsity cross country team delivered a remarkable performance at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
The WGHS girls' team placed eighth, and the boys' team placed 10th overall. When they arrived at Apalachee, the weather was nice and cool, which provided an advantage to the team. The boys jogged and stretched first to get ready for their race at 8 a.m.; shortly after, the girls stretched as well for their race at 8:30 a.m. As the team prepped, runners were feeling pretty confident about how well the race would go.
​
Sophomore Tallulah Mozley explained her motivation during the race. “I definitely did feel motivated, and I wanted to get the best time, and I wanted to beat my PR,” she said. Due to this motivation, she shaved a minute and a half off her previous race time. Tallulah also shared the best part of the race: “I really like running in the woods because there's not a lot of hills and it's just a really good trail to run on.” Tallulah explained running in the woods was her preferred setting because of the rhythmic trail and lack of hills. Although she faced complications during the race, she still managed to finish with an impressive personal record (PR) of 25:15.

Senior Justin Sharp said, “I was very motivated the whole week. I was prepping, I was eating healthier, I was carb loading, and in my mind I was like, 'I'm going to PR today'—that was my goal.” He explained that preparation played a major role in his performance. “The best thing about this course, I would definitely say, is the environment in general. It wasn't too hilly, and it wasn't too flat; it was the perfect amount of everything,” Justin said. The balanced course helped him maintain a positive mindset throughout the race. Despite a tough finish, Justin completed the course strong with a PR of 21:02.

Senior Leo Vannest noted that, in his opinion, this course was the best one of the season so far. “I felt motivated for the race because it was the first easy course we've had this season, and I knew I would do well on it,” he said. Knowing the terrain helped Leo lock into a strong mindset. “I did see improvements in this race compared to the last one. The last race we ran was hot and had a big hill, but in this most recent race, I took the hills a lot better, and I was able to keep my pacing very consistent.” Leo felt a clear shift in his performance on Saturday compared to previous meets, with the cool weather and course terrain playing a big role. He finished with a new PR of 22:12.

Junior Libby Rowe also had a positive outlook on the course. “The best thing about the Apalachee course is definitely the long downhills on the trail. The course is fairly easy, with the exception of the hill and the grass field. However, there is a good recovery on the trail when you get to coast on the downhill,” she said. Libby's positive attitude translated directly into her performance, helping her maintain a steady pace without burning out. “I saw my time improve from the last race to this race. I focused on not burning out too easily and making sure I was keeping my pace and attacking hills.” Thanks to these adjustments, she set a new PR of 21:03.

As WGHS cross country continues its season and competes against regional opponents, come out and support these Warriors!