The boys cross country team raced at Koch Park this past Friday, and overall, the team had a below average finish, placing 12th out of 15 schools. Junior Corey Blase, despite not achieving the time he wanted, he was still satisfied with the meet.

“I was pleased with my performance,” Blase said. He finished 70th out of 90 racers. He believed the team gave their best effort despite not meeting all of their goals.

One thing, according to Blase, that the team worked on a lot in preparing for the meet was increasing their surges. Surges are defined as a sudden burst of speed, which is key in gaining ground in cross country, mostly during the final stretch of the race. Blase said besides surges, he had another main goal for the meet.

“I work on staying with the guys ahead of me at both practice and during the meets,” Blase said.

Sophomore Jake Drnec added that while the team could have had better results, they still tried their best and always will find ways to improve. He also said that there are many factors which can very well determine the outcome of a race.

Drnec mentioned the fact the meet was at Koch Park and that is what helped him compete better. Drnec, like many cross country runners, believe the course itself is a factor in their race, and for him, Koch Park was a big factor in his performance.

“Koch Park is actually my favorite course of the season,” he said. “There is a long gradual hill that you run up, but it’s actually extremely flat as compared to our other meets.”

Since Koch Park is an open field park, fans can cheer on the runners from all angles. This helps Drnec and the other cross country runners stay motivated throughout the duration of the race. The cross country team’s next meet is at Living Word park this Saturday, Sept. 29th.