This fall, the Wakefield High School cross country team has had a solid season, with hopes of even greater success later on. The team and sport itself represent determination, perseverance and, most of all, hard work. 

Cross country, similarly to track, involves running and working to improve your own times. However, they are completely different sports. In cross country, the athletes run miles after miles through creeks and forests. They run on surfaces such as gravel, sand, pavement, grass and other difficult terrains. Senior captain Ella Kipnes reflects on the challenge that comes with cross country and how much mental strength the sport takes. 

“In track, you’re running around a flat circle with everybody watching you,” Kipnes said. “With cross country, it’s hilly, the terrain is rough and people can’t see you, so you have to have more self-discipline.” 

Many student runners, including senior Zeb Mathis, compete in both track and cross country. As someone who’s experienced all types of races, he acknowledges the perseverance that long-distance running requires. 

“Come the third mile, you have to be really resilient,” Mathis said. “It’s very tough, you have to dig deep and it’s a mental challenge. Everybody’s struggling at the same time in the race, you just have to keep trying and trust that, even though you feel terrible, you have to keep going.”

Even though it is a fall sport, the cross country team had practice nearly everyday in the summer. These practices, which involve long, rigorous runs that can go as long as eight miles, require an undeniable level of dedication. Additionally, at the meets, which occur twice a week, the runners typically compete in 5K races, which is about three miles. Head Coach Joe Turchetti, who has coached at Wakefield for six years, understands the effort his runners put forth day in and day out. 

“The races are long, on courses that are different everywhere we go and against teams we only see sporadically,” Turchetti said. “Cross country takes a mental toughness where you need to lock yourself in and stay competitive over three miles of grass, trails and hills.”

After all the hard work these athletes put in, there is one thing that brings them all together: their love for each other. Abril Catrain Mella, another senior on the team, finds that the positive team environment is crucial to their success. 

“I like the relationship between the teammates,” Catrain Mella said. “It’s so supportive—you could be running a 40 minute 5K or a 20 minute 5K, and regardless, the team is screaming and supporting you.”

Going into the Conference Championships on Oct. 14, Regionals and hopefully States, Wakefield cross country is eager to prove themselves and show how hard they have worked throughout the entire school year. 

“We’re trying to win a conference championship,” Mathis said. “We’re up there with the best of the teams, and qualifying for States this year would be spectacular. Just trying to have a great race each time is the ultimate goal.”