Both cross country teams celebrated the end of the 2019 season with a top 10 finish at the State Cross Country Meet Nov. 9 in Round Rock. The Eagles pulled in an eighth-place finish, while the Lady Eagles clinched the team gold taking the top spot.

Both teams also had a representative on the medal stand in the individual competition. Freshman runner Abree Winfrey and junior runner Samuel Ashley both secured a bronze medal for their performances. Winfrey said the bar was set high for the Lady Eagles coming into the race.

“I think there were just a lot of nerves, especially since we were trying to come back and win it again,” Winfrey said. “We knew that there was going to be a lot of competition.”

Ashley said despite the highs stakes stage he was eager to get going.

“I was feeling really confident at the beginning of the race,” Ashley said. “I wasn’t nervous; I wasn’t really feeling any doubts or anything. I was just ready to run.”

After the race, Winfrey said the team wasn’t too sure how the race panned out.

“We were sitting over by our camp just wondering what was going to happen,” Winfrey said. “And then [Coach] Baca came over and he said we won by like four points, and everyone just went crazy. It was awesome.”

Ashley said that though the team had mixed emotions, they were supporting him all the way to the medal stand.

“Most of us were kind of disappointed because we got eighth overall as a team,” Ashley said. “But toward the end of the whole meet, they were mainly excited for me which was crazy to think about. They were all excited that I got third, just cheering me on.”

Ashley said this year’s experience will drive the team and himself toward new goals.

“I want to do better next year,” Ashley said. “I’m definitely going to have a much harder drive than I ever had before, and I’m going to try to push my limits and see where that gets me.

Winfrey said she is already anxious for next year’s season to roll around.

“We didn’t have any seniors running so I’m going to get to be with all the same girls, and that’s going to be really fun,” Winfrey said. “I’m ready to just get back to the pace of everything again because I already miss it.”