Time to get out the brooms because the girls’ Cross Country team swept the Parkway Quad at Castlewood Park on Aug. 28.

“We are at a level within the program where I think we expect to be successful. Some of the races will be a bit of a challenge, but we did sweep so obviously we rose to that challenge,” head coach Charlie Cutelli said.

With her 7:09 pace, sophomore Lauren Calvin finished with a 22:14 time and placed individually.

“The race was exhausting. I thought it would be harder though—not the course—the actual winning. I thought there would be more competition,” Calvin said.

Although there was an expectation amongst the team that they would win, the race still presented challenges. And yet, freshman Hannah Rushing was able to push past her fears and win first place.

“The race was very nerve-racking for me. I didn’t really know what to expect so it was kind of a scary experience at first,” Rushing said.

In fact, to junior and team captain Maggie Morse, the team is growing stronger.

“My favorite part of the meet was seeing different people step up at all levels. The freshmen ran together in a really tight pack. In the JV race, I got to watch a bunch girls finish consecutively. I saw some people really step up who hadn’t before,” Morse said. “On the varsity level, it was cool because there were a lot of people who were in their first race. I got to see them work hard and get results.”

Throughout the race, the West Cross Country community ran around the course, cheering the racers and giving them advice.

“Before the race, Cutelli always tells us just to be a competitor. He has this quote that talks about how it should be about the race; not times, splits or cuts. It should be about beating the person next to you, just like the ‘Race Ya’ games from elementary school,” freshman Natalie Butler said. “At the Quad, there was this picture that was taken of the varsity race at starting line. The West girls just looked ready to race, while all other girls were checking and starting their wrist watches. We ended up winning because it’s more important and motivating to compete than worry about time.”