At each turn, they were neck and neck, but in the end Marcos Lupio Cado pushed past

Robert Perez and they both medaled. The final meet for cross country was the district meet at Nottingham Park.

“We had two boys medal in junior varsity,” varsity runner junior Kael Kirk said. “Those that we thought would do well in varsity didn’t do so well, but we had some others step up.”

Lupio Cado placed eighth in the 5k race. According to Lupio Cado, he and Perez ran together, but Lupio Cado pushed past Perez in the last bit. They were pushing each other the whole time.

“It felt really exciting because I had never medaled before, so I knew I had improved,” Lupio Cado said. “It went pretty well. I kept pushing myself, I counted the people in front of me and I knew I would medal, which kept me going.”

According to head coach George Stewart, the team had improved throughout the season and had become more athletic and stronger.  

“I just practiced and did what were supposed to do and rested a lot,” varsity runner senior Mackenzie Shepheard said. “I iced bathed and ate pasta before every meet. It was a great four years, and I’m glad I ran cross country. I learned a lot of life lessons, and to succeed in life, you have to be 100 percent dedicated to what you are trying to accomplish.”

There were several injuries throughout the season, but everyone came back really well from it, according to Stewart.

“I got my personal record earlier this season, but I missed some weeks because I overworked my calf,” Kirk said. “I foam rolled too hard and started a long run, and I’m not gonna stop a long run once I start a long run. My calf injury definitely affected my running this year.”

Although cross country is an individualized sport, during the season, the upperclassmen set up team bonding activities to bring everyone together. Many runners on the team run track in addition to cross country.

“We are always wanting more people,” Kirk said. “The more runners the better, because Klein swept up the medals. I think it’s fun to be able to compete in something I like. I just like running. It is cool to be able to compete in something I enjoy to do.”