UHS Girls’ Cross Country Team poses with their medals

Ben Lin ‘26

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

On October 15 at Downingtown West High School, the high school’s girls’ varsity cross country team successfully defended their Ches-Mont championship title, and the boys’ varsity team placed third overall. Senior Erin Rapin highlighted the team’s impressive performance, stating, “[The team’s] top five girls are in the top 11 in the Chesmont League.” Furthermore, she expressed optimism as the team heads to districts, hoping to qualify for states.

Throughout the season, the team trains six days a week, practicing on Monday through Saturday. Rapin explained that the workouts vary, with some days dedicated to interval workouts. On the daily workout schedule, Rapin said, "[The team] runs 60 minutes on average."

Before meets, the team participates in pre-meets the day before, with a focus on reduced minutes and sprint workouts on the track. Some athletes also visit the trainers for recovery methods, including "cupping, icebaths, and rolling out," Rapin added. Both Rapin and senior Kate Hendrix emphasized that each athlete’s pre-meet routine is individualized, tailored to their personal needs.

When it comes to race strategy, Rapin shared that the team's mindset is to "go out fast, run fast, and finish fast." Hendrix added that the athletes form "pace groups" that start together and then break off as the race progresses. Their general approach is to "go out strong" and "get into position" early in the race.

In the 2024 season so far, Hendrix stated, “Performances have skyrocketed,” with many personal records and individual improvements. Among the standout performers is sophomore Cara Rapin, who broke 19 minutes in the 5K with a time of 18 minutes and 44 seconds. Additionally, junior Courtney Carlson achieved a personal best in the 5K by over a minute, running it in 19 minutes and 26 seconds.

Lastly, Rapin says, “[Freshman] Veronica [Armer] has been doing incredibly well for her first year on the program.” Rapin believes Armer has demonstrated “great strength in practice and races.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming seasons, Rapid suggests the high school should keep an eye on the girls' varsity 4x800 team, which has a "good chance at medaling." Both Rapin and Hendrix also noted that the Cross Country team is "low on numbers" and encouraged more students to join the team by reaching out to coach and teacher, Mr. Lacianca.