Calabasas High School’s cross country team is nearing a season end after months of practicing and competing. Since September 9, the team has been practicing almost seven days a week in hopes of improving for the Marmonte League Championships coming up.

Luke Sawyer, a team captain of the varsity team, hopes to maintain steady improvement, despite his struggle with injuries. He currently has a personal best time of 16:27.1 for three miles and looks forward to breaking the 16 minute mark.

“I’m extremely excited,” said Sawyer. “It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s definitely going to be worth it.”

Despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, Calabasas High’s cross country team has maintained a positive attitude and hopes to continue improving throughout the season as everyone moves towards League Championships. Natali Garcia, another team captain, acknowledges that even though the team still had restricted practices and races last season, racing competitively and practicing regularly has been a benefit for this season. 

“I think that getting back to regular practices has been really good for the team,” said Garcia.

One bright spot for the Coyotes has been sophomore Nolan Au. Au, a junior varsity runner, recently achieved a sub-20-minute time of 19:49.2 for three miles and hopes to continue improving his times.

The runners have not only bonded throughout the season, but continue to push each other to overcome the many challenges cross country brings as a sport. They are looking forward to the League Championships on November 4.