Brentwood’s cross country team is back for its third year with more runner than ever. “It’s awesome to see the numbers just get bigger and bigger every year,” said Coach Gordon.
The team has had one race this season — on September 4th at Arnold Park. But the race was meant for as a practice race for teams around St. Louis with its distance being just 2 miles, rather than the typical 5k (3.1 mile) race, which is the distance for all regular-season races. It was an overall good first race for Brentwood. “Our two new freshmen showed that they were ready to compete,” Gordon said, referring to newcomers Noah Paxton and Charlotte White. “I think a lot of people showed that they have been training over the summer.”
For those of you who’ve never been to a cross country race, while it’s clear who wins the race individually (the person with the lowest time), understanding how the teams are scored isn’t as simple. For varsity races, each school can race a maximum of seven runners. At the finish line, each runner is given a point based on where they finish. So the person who gets first place will get one point, and the person who gets 50th place will get 50 points. The team with the lowest combined score of its fastest five runners wins the race.
Last year, Brentwood’s girls team had the third-lowest score at districts, so their team got to go on to state. At the state meet, junior Kensington Curd placed first in the whole state in the 2A division. This year’s goal for the girls team is to make it to state again, and for Curd, to defend her championship title.
The team has two captains this year: sophomores Natalie Kuelker and Cole Flynn. “It’s great, a great leadership position to help the team be better,” Flynn said. “I like the team this year,” he continued. “I think we have a great shot at making it to state.”
Since there is a no-cut rule at Brentwood, students are able to play multiple sports in one season. Geniyah Johnson, a sophomore, is one of these athletes who are choosing to play two sports – volleyball and cross country. “It’s really fun because I feel like I’m doing a lot but it’s also easy to maintain both because I like both,” said Johnson. “I feel running is one of my favorite things to clear my head.”
Want to cheer on The Eagles at their next race? It’s this coming Saturday, September 14 at Forest Park. “It’s one of the biggest meets that we’ll have. There’s gonna be about 1,000 people running, so it’ll be a nice little test for the group,” said Gordon.
