WICHITA, Kan.—
"Run Happy," reads the Wichita Collegiate Cross Country team's glow-in-the-dark shirts. Though they may not be happy while running at 6 a.m., they definitely enjoy the sport.Even though the team practices early in the morning, they still find the positive side.
"The best thing about morning practice is that you have a lot of time after school to do homework," said senior captain Rachel Wolansky. “The worst thing is going to bed at 8:30.”
The team has a great dynamic that everyone feels. They all agree that the team is like a family and they have plenty of fun together.
Head Coach Christy Simcox is looking forward to future years as her rising stars of juniors Arri Evans and Julia Camp, sophomore Mark Meyer and freshman Sophie Blackburn keep getting better.
Camp took 11th at the Clearwater meet in the 4K run. Blackburn took 15th also at Clearwater in the 4K race.
"This year we'll only lose two, so we're still in the building stage,” said Simcox. “I have a couple that are really competitive, everyone else is just learning the ropes. I have no idea what the middle school looks like, so we'll see what we get next years.”
Everyone agrees that the best part of the race is the last mile.
"The last mile is the kick-it-in point, and the best part of a meet," said Evans.
Evans took fifth place at the Lake Afton meet in the 5K race.
The Spartans will run again on Thursday, September 27, at Halstead for freshmen and sophomores. The juniors and seniors have a meet on the following Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
