Cross Country
Cross country girls run tough
Darcy Mullane '24
Editor-In-Chief of Design
Cross Country is an intense sport that is, at many times, underappreciated. In comparison to track and field, Cross country is about endurance, so it requires a good mental attitude and full body strength. Most races for varsity are three miles where runners must power through steep hills to get to the easier spots..
Many of these courses have scary yet funny nicknames such as the final hill at Pierce college, named “puke hill.” The Louisville cross country runners must be open minded to the race because with names like this, it must make the run a little more daunting!
At meets, the runners show the beauty of Louisville as the varsity runners encourage and cheer on the junior varsity and vice versa. They’ll say “for every uphill there’s a downhill,” which shows their enthusiasm for the team and Louisville to succeed.
Chloe Bowling '26 and Lilliana Spissman '25 before a race
Cross country runners embody the message of Louisville as the community is truly one of the most warm and inviting environments. The runners are inspiring because not only do they take on treacherous hills, but also balance practice with school.
The team is led by a Crespi teacher, Coach Lopez. He is new to the position of head coach, but he was assistant coach last year.
“The beautiful part about cross country is that everyone is welcoming as we all know how hard it is to choose to run,” said Coach Lopez.
He also brings up a valid point: running is difficult. People tend to brush cross country aside because it is “just running,” but these athletes can run up to ten miles daily, 6 days of the week, with insane uphills.
Coach Lopez goes on to talk about how he keeps team morale up by simply being accommodating and understanding:
“The best thing I can do is make them aware that I see their efforts.”
Having a coach be understanding adds to the energy of the team because it is so lovely to have a support system to fall back on.
One of the runners for the team is Emma Brewer. Brewer has been on the team since the online freshmen year where they met in the mornings before school. It did not sway her from the team and she powered through the online year to get to her exciting senior year.
The team has a great season ahead of them as the strong athletes conquer many steep hills ahead of them. Come cheer them on at their second league meet on October 11 and their League finals on November 1 at Pierce College!