Freedom’s Cross Country team has developed many successful runners over the years, and this year it seems as though the trend will continue. The 2015-2016 Freedom High School Girls’ Cross Country season has begun and this year’s team is full of many new faces.

“This team is definitely a lot younger than the past teams. There’s a lot more underclassmen this year and I enjoy meeting the new freshmen,” said senior captain Nina Curkovic.

Two of the incoming freshmen: Morgan Kugel and Cassidy Edwards, have already made their way onto the varsity team and continue to run impressive 5k times. With their best times being 21:45 and 23:38, respectively.

“The cross country team is so amazing! They are like my second family. Being on the team has made going into high school really easy and fun. This is by far the best team I have ever been on,” said Edwards.

The team has already placed in the top ten for three out of the four meets they have attended. If Freedom’s Cross Country team stays on this track, it is likely that they will be eligible for the state completion on November 7^th at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. That is the goal of the team this year and the girls work hard to try to achieve it.

“One of our big goals this year is to make it to states, which I think is very attainable with a strong team like ours. A goal of mine this year is for everyone to have fun and be close friends as a team, and that goal has already been fulfilled,” said senior captain Claire Snell.

With the team practicing five days a week, Freedom Cross Country is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Although the girls work hard to make sure they achieve their goals during the season, they always remember to have fun.

“Everybody on the cross country team is equally important to me. We have a lot of great runners but not one person stands above the rest. We are a family,” said Coach Dwight Smith.