Madison High School’s Dodgers kicked off the cross country season at the Oak Ridge Invitational on Friday, September 5th, and they came, setting the tone for a promising season.
The Dodgers competed in the boys and girls 1.1 and 2.2 mile events. They tested their early season fitness against tough competition, and showed that the Dodgers are not going to back down without a fight. Their goal was simple but intense: finish as high as possible on the podium to keep your team’s score low.
The boys’ varsity team placed 8th overall out of 13 teams, earning 202 points. While that number landed just above the mean score of 189.2, it shows that the boy’s ability to be ahead of the competition is a reality, not just a far sighted dream. It also shows just how great of shape the boys team is in, to keep improving this season.
Meanwhile, the girls’ varsity team had an excellent time. They placed 4th overall out of 10 teams, finishing with 130 points, well below the mean score of 148.7. Their performance was an indication of how strong the Dodger’s girls team is going to be in cross country.
The Dodger Varsity Boys and Girls team captains sat down for an interview and Emma Cipriani had this to say about their goals for the season, “Yeah were… focusing on our long term goals this year. A lot of things, like, injury prevention and making sure we have a really strong team going into next year, as well.” The Dodgers seem to be playing the long game and making sure they can establish themselves correctly before the season really picks up. They were both hopeful and excited about the year ahead, and were more than up for the challenge that awaits them.
With both Dodger Varsity teams showing up and showing out they left with momentum and motivation for the rest of the cross country season. This first meet wasn’t just about results, it was also about setting the tone; judging from how they ran, Madison’s cross country season is shaping up to be an exciting one. Go Dodgers!