At San Luis Obispo High School, recognition for sports is not always even or based on the teams with the best statistics, but rather on what high schoolers find the most interesting. Per say, football gains much more recognition than our cross country team. This may be because running does not seem fun to many students.

But for those who do take a liking to it, it is great that our elite runners just took on other cross country runners at State.

Girls cross country placed eighteenth, and the boys placed thirteenth in the State.

SLOHS Expressions interivewed members of the team on how their experience with state was and generally their draw to the sport. 

Expressions:  Was this your first time going to state? If yes how do they differ from normal meets if not how did this state differ from last years states?

Junior Grace Greenlash: This was my second time going to state. The first time, last year, was a new experience and I didn’t expect how competitive it was. This time I was able to anticipate what the race would be like which helped me perform better. 

Senior Alexi Steinmaus: This was my second time going to the state meet. It differed from last year in that it went more slowly. 

Junior Garret Beutel: No this was my third time going to state. The race this year didn’t feel much different except for it being faster and there being more top guys on the start line. 

Expressions: What got you into cross country, did you ever think you would make it to states? 

Junior Grace Greenlash: I first joined cross country as a way to train for track but I ended up really enjoying it. When I first started I didn’t think I would be very good at it so I definitely didn’t think I would make it to state. 

Steinmaus: My parents both ran in college and I just figured it was something that I would do so I signed up for cross country in middle school. 

Beutel: I have always been a runner but it started when I quite soccer before freshman year and was debating to actually do cross country. I never thought I would have made it onto the state team ever. 

Expressions: How did you place at states and how did you feel about it?

Greenlash:  I placed 146th at state even though I got a PR( personal record) for the season which goes to show how competitive the race was. Since it was such a big meet, I was more focused on my time then my place. 

Steinmaus: I’m not sure what I placed, but that does not matter, time matters more to me.

Beutel: I have no idea how I placed. All I know is that I got a PR by nine seconds, and that it was the best I felt in a race all season. 

Expressions: What was the course like?

Greenlash: This course is a difficult one as there are a lot of hills and it feels very long. It isn’t my favorite but I’ve raced it a lot so I usually do pretty well on it. 

Steinmaus: The course is hilly which I like because I feel like I can progress more on hills than on flat sections and I also like this course because it goes by pretty fast. 

Beutel: This course is probably one of my favorite courses out all of them. It’s a three point one mile course that starts off with a wide and very loud first mile with a massive crowd. Then you go into your second mile that is very quiet and has two big hills that kill your legs.  It then connects you back to the first mile with rolling hills, that’s the last one point one mile. 

Expressions: Is cross country a team sport or are you more alone? How was this for state?

Greenlash:Even though each of us are running alone, cross country is a team sport because we are competing for a team score and a lot of times we race side by side, which is very helpful mentally. At state our main goal was to place as high as we could as a team so each of us had to race our hardest individually. 

Steinmaus: Cross country is a team sport because the points are scored for the team. At state as well as every other race this season, I ran certain parts of the race with my teammates which is really nice because you can help each other and work together to progress. 

Beutel: Cross country is definitely a team sport. For state though it was a bit different since there was no way we could have been beating some of the best teams in the nation, as well as, it was our last race so everyone wanted to get their last fastest time on that course.