By Michael Marquez
Photo by: Alfonso Reyes Vasques and Jett Zwahlen
El Diamante Cross Country has a big season coming up. They are partaking in preseason meets and are preparing for the official 2024 meets to start.
El Diamante senior Taga Benavente says this about the cross-country season, “ It could go either way. We might not do better than last year, but we will hopefully do about the same.”
Some are nervous about the season, not knowing how the team will function. Despite this, most of them are confident about it. Some concerns have arisen about how the team will function after losing previous seniors, and how our athletes are going to have more pressure and responsibilities on their shoulders; will the team be ready for that?
Photo by: Micheal Marquez
Here are some predictions from runner Alex Rodriguez, “I think [this season] is going to be beneficial for me since I’m going to get faster and in better shape. It’s a cool sport to try out. I think it will go better this year since last year I was always hurt.” This confidence shows how ready students are for the season and it should encourage people to try out cross-country; especially those who want to get faster and in better shape overall.
Cross-country coach Mr. Hales predicts this about cross-country, “We have a much younger team and they will have a lot tougher competition being the younger crowd, but they have a tight bond together making them stronger. Having a younger team is great for us because they have so much potential and they bring us a lot of energy. Overall I have really high hopes for the team, and I believe we will do great.”
Coach Hales has hopes for the upcoming season and is not only excited and confident in the team. He seems optimistic about their progress and the improvements that will come throughout the season. He has high expectations but is also willing to work hard to improve those flaws and make them strengths. In adding to this perspective, another student Joshua Reza says this about the season, “I definitely want to at least get a school record maybe two, and go to Valley again.”
Photo by: Brooklyn Bawanan
Along with this, El Diamante has athletes who want to improve their personal skills from previous years. Students Brooklyn and Kaimely Bawanan are excited to accomplish some goals this XC season, they said, “We predict that there will be more personal records broken for others and ourselves, more school records broken, and overall a good season.”
Many individuals have made predictions for this season. Let’s all hope our team meets all their goals. The Miners will be rooting them from the sidelines all season.