The Cross Country team went to South Dakota this past weekend for the Heartland Preview earning top six through all teams. Captains, coaches, and history are all connected to HHS Cross Country team and that’s what puts them together to succeed. 

The team has many philosophies and different ways that they prepare for their races, one of them being an important one from their captain.

“Relax and roll” Said Anya Schmeichel, 11. 

If any mentors from last year taught her anything that still sticks with her today she brought up “relax and roll”. Whenever she started getting tired she would think relax and roll and then she would focus and lock in on her race.

The Cross Country team is a big team with so many student athletes who compete in it, last time the team had real success was winning state and winning regionals back in 2015.

The 2015 Hopkins Boys cross country team won it all at Heartland Regionals which is an invite only event with the Heartland Preview as a qualifier with Coach Mike Harris, Science who is still currently their coach. That team had high mileage runners but the current team doesn’t have as many of those so the coaches manipulate the plan to meet the needs of them to succeed. 

Captains are a key part of the team and how others look at them. Two of the captains said they had to change their mindset in everything they do both in preparing for Heartland and in taking on a bigger role of being a captain. Even though there’s many teams competing, they feel pretty confident going into it and getting good results against them.

Both captains Schmeichel and Camden Nguyen, 12  got good placements last weekend. Both of them in the past year at regionals  both placed 107th at the Heartland track, this year Nguyen ended up getting 74th and Schmeichel getting 35th. These placements definitely boost their confidence and be ready to get similar and even better placements come regional time.

“I firmly believe that our athletes mirror our reactions, philosophies, even our talk ”said Coach Harris.

How he handles the pressure of his athletes competing at a high level against others. His staff is very confident in what they do and say with experiences leading them to that point of where they are at. As the season has gone on his athletes have gained trust which is a huge component for him and getting the best out of his athletes.

 “If they have the trust it leads to big performances” says Coach Harris