Cross country sprints their way into CIF
The NPHS girls’ cross country team is ready to compete another year and go to state finals to win CIFs. The team has been ranked number one in Division II with the top seven teams advancing to the state meet on Nov. 26.
Ailish Hawkins, a senior and varsity runner on the cross country team, is looking forward to CIF along with finishing the end of the season strong. “We have CIF prelims and then finals. Then we have state and the nationals. We have to get top 12 out of prelims and then top 3 out of finals to be in the top seven teams to qualify for the state meet,” Hawkins said.
The most important thing to Hawkins in the game is taking one for the team. “I think the biggest thing is to be able to put yourself through pain for the team because once we get to state, it’s not easy and there’s a lot of positions we could lose if you give up during the middle of the race. We have to focus on pushing ourselves in the race. We don’t give up halfway because your teammates are depending on you to keep qualifying and everyone matters,” Hawkins said.
Tiffany Sax, sophomore and runner on the team, was excited for the last race at Agoura. “Our meet at Agoura was the league finals and we did pretty well as a team. We won first place. One of the main goals in cross country is […] to try and get the least amount of points,” Sax said. Last year, the girls’ cross country team participated in nationals where they placed ninth as a team. They participated in state and placed second in CIFs.
Tanya Brosnan, coach of both cross country teams at NPHS, has been coaching country and track for the past six years prior to taking over as head coach this season. She was an assistant coach for both teams under the former head coach and is now preparing the girls cross country team for CIF finals which will be held on Nov. 19. Before coaching, she was a competitive NCAA and post-collegiate runner. The girls’ team continue[d] to train hard through CIF Prelims and Finals. “For us, this [was] just another step to get to the State Meet and National Championship, which [were] the ultimate goals. The athletes [were] looking forward to competing and defending their CIF Champions title…nationals [is]only one more step away,” Brosnan said.
One of Brosnan’s favorite things about coaching cross country is seeing the athletes complete something they never thought possible. “The disbelief and satisfaction the athletes experience when this happens is important for building their confidence, not just in their running performance, but in life. Knowing that if you put in the hard work you can accomplish something you never thought possible, is a valuable life skill,” Brosnan said.
The only thing Brosnan is nervous about is making sure the athletes maintain a healthy state. “The course is said to be tough and can really drain the athletes. The CIF course at Mt. SAC is a tough course that can really beat up the athletes if they are not careful. Otherwise, the athletes are ready to perform,” Brosnan said.
Girls’ cross country won second place at the State Championship meet in Fresno. Their hard-earned trophy is in the front office for all to admire.
