As the New Trier Girls Cross Country season ends for most runners, the top eight are heading to regionals and to State. With an undefeated record this year in conference and winning the conference meet, the team is doing well this season even though they lost multiple top runners. Head coach John Burnside said, “we lost a lot of top girls this year but we’re still competing at the same level as last year and we’re doing great”.

The season ended for most of the girls on the team on Saturday Oct. 19 at the conference meet at Niles West, the last meet which everyone on the team can participate.  Senior captain Caroline Rooney said, “it’s a great opportunity for everyone to try their best and it’s great because everyone gets to run in the race.”  Caroline was out for most of this season with inflamed growth plates in her hips.

For the top eight runners on the team who are going to regionals this weekend, then sectionals in a week, they also hope to go to State on Nov. 9. The top eight are; Mimi Smith, Molly Kruegar, Kellie Schmidt, Molly Schmidt, Kaitlin Frei, Oona Jung-Beeman, Caroline Fix, and Katie Glew. Junior Mimi Smith ,who usually runs a 17:25 three-mile, (which is around a six-minute-mile), said, “at the State meet I want to be in the top five runners and I would like the team to finish in the top three.”    She also wants to be able to go back to the Nike Cross National. To do so, she will have to qualify for that race which is held in Portland, Oregon. “While I’m running I just try to think about how I can improve my times and my strategy to run faster in the meets,” added Mimi Smith.

This year the Cross Country team was different than those of the past. Burnside said, “There was something different about this year, everyone is so positive; there is just so much great energy, and this year we are finishing this season with almost 230 girls on the team.

We never had that many girls when the season ends, because normally a ton of girls quit before the season ends.” Miles agreed, “This year has been my favorite year of being on the team. The fourth year of Cross Country has definitely been the best year of cross country for me, even though I have been injured this year.”

According to Caroline Rooney who was captain with three other seniors, Molly Kruegar, Nikki Sheman, and Rachel Shane, Burnsides goals for his team are, “I would like everyone to run the fastest they can at conference, and they were able to do that and I hope that we can win at State.