With the long XC season finally over, the boy’s team has a lot to look back on. Many runners are seniors, who have competed in their last ever race. But there are also runners who are just getting started. This season was an historic one for the Warriors, they set records and accomplished things that they have never done in school history.
For starters, the Warriors won metros for the first time in history, with Conor Gross and Ryan Kugler finishing 1st and 2nd. That alone makes for an historic season. But what came after truly made this season one to remember, as the team finished 4th as a team at the state championship meet, compared to their 7th place last year.
For most of the season, the true strength of this team flowed through the seniors of the team, such as Ryan Kugler, Conor Gross, Collin Newman, Preston Penney and more. These seniors led the team with their leadership, they were able to tie their highest placement in school history.
Of course, those seniors have competed in their last race at the high school level. But their leadership is not to be forgotten, and with many up and coming younger runners, this team would like to continue their momentum into the next season, despite the losses of these senior leaders. Head coach Theresa Gosnell talked about how the season went, and about the seniors that will be graduating.
“All of the runners did super good. They all came out, and bought into the season, and they were ready.” Gosnell said. “The seniors had a huge impact, I mean all four captains we had were seniors. They led by how they ran, and their actions and how they spoke. They knew how to motivate everyone else.”
Gosnell also talked about what she felt the most proud about this season and what expectations she has for next season.
“I think it would probably be the Metro championship.” Gosnell said. “I think just winning that for the first time was our biggest accomplishment from this season. Hopefully [we’ll] carry the momentum from this season, and perform up to this level, and possibly higher.”
With the senior departures, it will of course be difficult to replicate this historic season for the Warriors. But with younger runners still developing, and possibly new runners coming in, it certainly isn’t impossible.
One of those seniors is Conor Gross, who placed 3rd at the state championship, with a time of 15:49.31. The second highest placing warrior was fellow senior Ryan Kugler, who finished 6th with a time of 15:55.32. These two seniors have been the heart of this team for the past couple of years, and it will be challenging to replicate what these two have accomplished during their time on this team.
Gross went into what he’s learned from his time in high school, and the lessons that he has taken from this experience.
“I’ve learned it just takes work and consistently.” Gross said. “I just continued to work hard each year, and this is where it got me.”
Gross also talked about how he overcame difficulties, such as injuries and school.
“The main thing is that I came up with a routine, and I stuck with that routine, and that helped me stay organized, and I was able to avoid problems.” Gross said. “Staying organized helps me continue to improve, while not injuring myself or falling behind in classes.”
Lastly, Gross spoke on the achievements he’s most proud of.
“Honestly, probably this most recent state placing.” Gross said. “That, and probably my sophomore year when we qualified for the state meet, because that was the first time in a while that Westside qualified for it.”
This was a remarkable season for the Warriors, with a historic placement in both the metro meet, and the state meet. With many seniors leaving, there is a question mark on how the team will look next year. But with emerging younger runners ready to take on a bigger role, this team plans on making a run for the state title next year.
