By Anna Hedgpeth

Reporter

The Blue Springs South girls cross-country team has raced in two meets this season and varsity has won both.

The team’s All-State runners, juniors Tori Findley and Danielle Hotalling, finished in first and 11th overall at the Greg Wilson Classic, their first meet.

Not only do the girls run together every day, they also spend a lot of time bonding with each other off the trails. They train with hopes of reaching the state meet by improving as individuals and as a team.

After winning the first meet, the team felt optimistic about the season to come.

“We raced some tough competition and already had a great start to a promising season,” Hotalling said.

Hotalling joined the team her freshman year because she loves sports, especially running, and had heard the team was close and supportive of one another.

Varsity freshman Lauren Low joined the team over the summer and set herself apart quickly with her times.

“I like the feeling I have after running several miles, when I’m sweaty but I know I’ve just accomplished something many people can’t do,” Low said.

This is Low’s first year on the team and she has earned a varsity spot already. She placed 38th overall in the Forest Park meet in St. Louis. Low said that she joined the team because she likes to run and wanted to be a part of what she had heard was a very close team.

“We have pasta parties, runs where we go to coffee or IHOP afterwards, and we always run in groups so we can talk and joke around on the trails,” Low said about how the runners bond on and off the trails.

Coach Ryan Unruh said that he tries to create a team where every runner can contribute to the success of the team in one way or another, no matter their skill level. His two most important goals for the girls are putting in good solid work each day and having fun.

The varsity team competes Saturday at the Rim Rock  Invitational at the University of Kansas.