For the first time in eight years, the varsity men’s cross country team started its season with a victory, a feat that the team hasn’t been able to accomplish this since its time in the Harford County League years ago.
The win against McDonough marked an emotional victory for the team. Last year, the team finished fourth place in the conference championships, right behind McDonough, and the team finished just a few points behind them in an invitational over this past weekend.
But the men on the team were determined not to let that happen again. Although it’s his first year on the team, senior Viktor Polyak knew the importance of this meet. “The guys all knew that this race was winnable, so everyone seemed very focused on winning,” Polyak said. the guys all knew that this race was winnable, so everyone seemed very focused on winning
Coach Michael Monaghan was proud of his team and admits that the men were exhausted. The temperature reached 89 degrees by the race, but that didn’t stop the team according to Monaghan. “The guys dug down and we came away with a solid win,” Monaghan said.
Monaghan hopes to continue on the road to success. “I’m hoping for a top three showing at the conference championship in November,” Monaghan said.
According to Monaghan, the team wouldn’t be as successful if it wasn’t for the team’s connectedness. The three captains, senior Joey Hoff, senior Dan Thompson, and junior Ben Pickett, encouraged the team to succeed.
“We don’t just pick the best athlete for captain. We like to embody the essence of the complete student leader in our captains,” Monaghan said.
The team has been practicing since June, although most of the team has been together for over two years. According to Monaghan, he tries to keep the team close “so they feel that they are part of something bigger than themselves.”
“[Cross country] is all mental so the best motivation can sometimes just be someone offering words of encouragement,” Polyak said. “Everyone is striving to improve times, and definitely win, so I hope the team will add a lot more wins to the record,” he said.
Stephanie Laird can be reached for comment at [email protected].