[ot-caption title=”The Girl’s PCXC Team takes first place at FL Runners Invitational last weekend, September 26, 2015. (via, Michael Meade)”]

A month has gone by in the 2015 Cross Country season, and both the girl’s team and the boy’s team have been competing and winning meets. Led by Coach Paul Baur, the cross-country team has swept through its first four competitions, winning at the Martin Country Under the Lights Invitational, the Florida Horse Park Invitational, the Pine Crest Invitational, and the Florida Runners Invitational.

Each team has their aces for sure, but there have been contributions across the board from a variety of competitors thus far. Pine Crest’s Michael Kennedy and Ryan Welch finished first and second at the Pine Crest Invitational.  Additionally, for the boys, seniors Jake Gilbert, Alex Caldwell, and Noah Srour have had noteworthy starts to the season, setting a high standard in practice and translating it into wins on the track during competition. Alyssa Pujals and Julia Montgomery have established a similar culture on the girl’s side.  But it hasn’t just been the upperclassmen doing damage. Middle schoolers Tsion Yared (eighth), Mahdere Yared (seventh), and Amanda Schwartz (eighth) all partake in most of the meets and have consistently placed in the upper rank in their races. For both of the teams, the seniors contribute a large amount as leaders but are given ample assistance by their younger counterparts.

All of the hard work is not simply to write a feel good story.  The team wants results, especially after losing three consecutive chances at a championship with second place finishes.  A member of the girl’s cross country team, Simone Vreeland, stated, “We have been working really hard this year because the last three years we have been runner up at states so this is our chance.”  The team grinds it out for hours in practice, sometimes traveling hours from school and missing work to build up their bodies and their spirits.  The team hopes that this kind of effort will bring the state championship back to Fort Lauderdale. The entire Pine Crest community wishes all of the members of the team good luck on their road to victory.