The girls varsity cross country team will compete Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 in Canyon after finishing first at the Lubbock invitational Sept. 24.

The varsity team had a total score of 52 points in the 5000 meter run at the Lubbock invitational, with the second place team 78 points behind them. Junior Ayse Allison led the race with a time of 19:06.20. Coach Ray Baca said the team expects to do really well this year.

“The team prepared all summer for this season,” Baca said. “Up to this point we have been focusing on building our aerobic endurance and strength. We are now adding speed into a lot of our workouts, which will hopefully allow our girls to run their fastest at the end of the season.”

The girls will run in the district meet Oct. 15. Allison said the runners’ early discipline has prepared them for upcoming meets.

“We got about a week off in early May, so we started about mid-May and have been coming since then,” Allison said. “We have a lot of returning girls, and a lot of girls who have put in a lot of work this summer.”

Baca said all the girls are good friends and really enjoy being around each other.

“For me, it’s easy to see that this team stands out, because they get along well,” Baca said. “I believe if we stay healthy, continue to work hard, and believe in ourselves, we will be very successful.”