The girls cross country team placed two top-20 individual runners Sept. 13 at the First to the Finish invitational in Peoria, finishing third overall in a field of 38 teams.

Senior Mimi Smith finished fifth overall with a three-mile time of 17:20 and sophomore Cara Keleher clocked in at 17:45. The squad hopes to carry last year’s momentum into this year.

“Last year was such a successful year for both the team and individual runners,” noted senior co-captain Ally Neumann, who’s twin sister Sam is also a captain. “But I expect to see the same amount of positivity this year which will definitely contribute to another great season.”

The Trevians, who finished third in the team competition at the state meet last year, are looking to build upon on that success into this coming season.

“We spent a lot of last year trying to find how we could compete with top teams,” said head coach John Burnside. “It took about half the season to solidify the pack running mentality we were going to use. Now we’ve got that.”

With returning individual state champion Smith coming back for her senior season among other strong runners, the Trevians look poised for another strong showing at state.

“She’s always brought a lot to the table” said co-captain Ainslie Martin. “And we hope for her to [compete at a high level] this year.”

However, this team is about more than just winning. As a no-cut sport, the girls cross country team boasts one of New Trier’s deepest rosters, carrying over 200 girls. Despite the number of runners, the girls team builds a true bond throughout the squad that brings a real sense of team spirit and pride to everyone involved.

“I’m making it a priority to know everybody’s name in hopes of making our big team seem a little smaller and more personal,” said Sam. “As a captain, it’s my job to build team spirit and bring everybody a little closer together.”

Twin sister Ally also stressed the importance of team chemistry, adding that her favorite team bonding activities “are the carbos every Friday before a meet on Saturday morning.”

With a strong nucleus of returning runners and a team bond rivalimg most teams at New Trier, the girls cross country team is poised for success.