It was a beautiful fall afternoon at Larz Anderson Park; sunlight danced across the grassy hill as the girl’s varsity cross country team began warming up for the day’s meet. As a leader and motivator of the team, sophomore Georgia Gray begins played music from her speaker to try and ease the nerves of her fellow teammates.
Gray began running as a freshman when she signed up for outdoor track in the spring. She ran the 800-meter event, where she progressed well, finishing her spring season with a personal best of 2:46. Gray, who had previously played volleyball, knew after just one season of track that she liked running much more than her previous sport.
Girls varsity cross country head coach Michael Deyoung said he noticed her massive leaps from outdoor track into the cross country season the following school year, which can partially be attributed to the miles she ran over the summer. Although Gray said she found it more difficult to train without the support of teammates, she persevered and the improvements she saw were dramatic.
While Deyoung had coached Gray during the Indoor Track season, he said he wasn’t sure he would see Gray in the fall.
“I didn’t know she was going to do cross country,” Deyoung said. “I saw her name on the list, and she showed up on the first day, and I think she has thrived in cross country.”
While she only joined the team this season, it didn’t take long for Gray to grow close with her teammates. Senior and girls varsity cross country captain Riley Ament first met Gray this year, and immediately formed a strong bond with her new teammate.
“I thought that she was really kind and outgoing. She’s very perseverant and she’s just very dedicated to the team,” Ament said.
Gray said she tries to bring enthusiasm and a positive attitude, which is crucial in a mentally challenging sport like cross country.
“I think races are a lot of pressure for everyone,” Gray said. “So being positive and fun before then kind of takes the edge off.”
Deyoung said her ability to bring an upbeat vibe to the team, while simultaneously displaying a competitive nature, has led to impressive results in her debut season.
“She’s laughing and keeping everybody light, happy, and they’re playing music and she’s dancing,” Deyoung said. “But once we get on the line and the gun goes off, she becomes really determined and focused.”
For Gray, that focus and determination have been reflected in her performance so far this season. Gray has been an important scorer for the varsity team, setting her 5k personal best of 21:20 at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational.
As the end of the season approaches, Gray hopes to finish strong.
“We have divisionals coming up, and if our team places in the top eight, we go to states. So that’s definitely a goal,” Gray said. “I’d also really like to PR in the 5k by 20 seconds.”
When cross country comes to an end, Gray will shift her focus to the track. Deyoung said he looks forward to seeing her progress from this season to the next.
“I’m excited to see how she can do on track as well because I think a lot of her gains in cross country really translate well to the track,” Deyoung said. “Cross country builds up your foundation and then once you have a really strong foundation, then you can do hard work.”
