LOHS cross country had a long and successful season this year. Making it to state, boys Chris Hayashi (12), Rowan Cook (11), and Felix Wang (10), and senior girls Taylor Sheldon and Eden Rosensteel, put in the last of their energy to race at state in Eugene. With the season ending, the team has had around ten meets all around Oregon in areas such as Tillamook, Clackamas, and various golf courses. 

Races are typically the same length but may vary. Wang said, “Races are generally 5k, 3.11 miles, but occasionally we do 3k at the beginning of the season or for new people.” After qualifying for state at districts, the runners felt proud of their performance. “ Running a 16:09 for districts and qualifying for state was pretty good, I felt accomplished,” said Wang after districts. 

As far as competition goes, our cross-country team has lots of competition during the fall. Lakeridge and West Linn have been taking the lead in the league, and other teams such as Lincoln, South Eugene, and Jesuit add to the team’s rivals. To fuel themselves and promote team bonding, the night before a meet, one family hosts a pasta feed to prepare the runners for their upcoming meet. Many of these feeds have consisted of Olive Garden, but many other restaurants are used as well. 

After their season ended, a lot of the athletes run long distances in the off-season to keep themselves in shape and ready for track and the next Laker cross country season.