A new year, a new school and a new team. Freshmen have a lot to adjust to when transferring to the high school, including the athletes of the school. They do not always know what to expect.

 The freshmen on the Cross Country team are currently working through this shift. The upperclassmen have shown their support to help their new teammates grow to their full potential. 

“I feel I am getting a very great amount of support from the upperclassmen. They are very nice to me and I can tell they really do believe in me,” freshman Cannan Sommers said. 

The upperclassmen have made the new environment a safe place for the freshmen.The seniors are working to guide their new teammates to be better and become more comfortable on the team.  

“They keep you engaged if you fall behind or ask how you are feeling. The Captains, Tommy Rice, Tesfaye Young, Jacob Harms and Zachary Gemma are especially good at keeping the team in line and making a friendly, supportive environment,” freshman Andrew Harold said. 

The support has helped their team do well at races. They continue to push each other to do their best. 

“I ran sub-19:00 at both meets, which pushes me harder to run sub-18,” Harold said.

  The freshmans personal goals signifies the responsibility that they have for themselves and their team. 

“For me personally it has been going better than I could have hoped, because I am in Varsity which is very surprising to me,” Sommers said. 

The athletes are being pushed every day to become more accomplished runners.

“This is my third year in Cross Country. The main switch was the mileage we do over the summer and also the amount of people cheering you on,” Sommers said. 

Their athletic ability continues to advance as the year goes on. 

“I look up to Zach Gemma, he is always motivating me and very supportive during workout and the hard times of every day,” Sommers said. 

 The Captains of the team continue to motivate and support their team, despite the age differences. They want to build their team to the best that it can be. This means pushing everyone to be their best including the youngest part of the team. 

“The team is doing great in the race, at weekday practices, and outside of practices, in the hall and weekly dinners. It’s a family,” Harold said.

The new teammates for this season have a lot of talents and dedication towards this sport which has benefited the team as a whole. 

The team has supported each other throughout the season making it something that the students want to be a part of. The talent as well as the positive environment has led the team to a successful season.