Girls Cross Country completes 3-peat in WCACs

On October 26th, the SJC girls cross country team took the championship title at the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCACs) for the third year in a row. They then won the DC state championship November 2nd. The varsity team, led by Celia Chorzempa ‘21 and Cady Hyde ‘20, have trained hard during the season and ended with a strong finish. 

“Having two championships back to back is a whole different experience than running to regular season races back to back. We have to be a lot more cautious about how we train. WCACs was a great race. It was a lot smaller than DC states but very competitive. DC states was a lot muddier with alot less hills. They were both amazing meets to participate in,” said Meredith Gotzman ‘23, who was the overall winner of the WCAC race. 

This year is Chorzempa’s first year leading the varsity team, and she’s learned a lot from being led by Hyde in past years. “We always love our seniors, and Cady Hyde especially has guided me throughout my high school running, so it’s sad to see her leaving soon. The seniors have always made sure to keep a positive attitude and lead us to success.” 

Hyde said that she is proud to be a captain. “Both the girls and the boys teams work so hard everyday, and they deserve all the praise in the world for the work they put in. The team truly feels like a family, and I’m honored to be their leader. They have earned every single title they have won, and I can’t wait to see what my teammates can accomplish in the upcoming track seasons!”

The team had to be considerate of their demanding schedule when training for the WCACs and states. Because states followed right after the WCACs, there was little recovery time for the team between races, but taking home two first place titles .was definitely a great way to end the regular season according to Chorzempa.

Gotzman agreed that the overall experience was fulfilling. “Having two championships back to back is a whole different experience than running to regular season races back to back. WCACs was a lot smaller than DC states but was very competitive. They were both amazing meets to participate in,” Gotzman said.