Nearing the end of their season, the Lion’s cross country team competed in the Seminole Athletic Conference Championships. This meet took place at Lake Mary High School on Saturday, October 24th.
The Seminole Athletic Championships (SAC) is a meeting between Seminole County schools that takes place between most sports. Once a year, rivalries and friendships collide into one late-season event and students go to further lengths to prepare for high-caliber events, like SAC.
“I try to get in a good head space…It was senior night which brought a good energy to it, it took the pressure off it,” said senior Preston Morley.
During the Boy’s season, they placed behind rivals Hagerty High School multiple times but came into this matchup off a first place team finish at the Hawks’s Last Chance Invitational. They rode that momentum to another first-place finish at SAC, in front of the second place Huskies.
“We were supposed to lose by four points but me and Jack came up big,” said Morley.
The Oviedo runners’ methods of physical and mental preparation before meets helped put the team in position to place five of the top ten runners at SAC. Senior runner Preston Morley and sophomore Jack Nugent both set new PR’s and helped lead the Boys team to a successful outing at SAC.
“I try to get off of social media…I pray before the meets to feel calmer about the race,” said Nugent.
The Girl’s team was led by Senior Courtney Calhoun who placed first and junior Gigi Decesare who placed third. These performances led the Girls to a fourth place finish overall, despite missing multiple runners due to injuries.
“I went in knowing I could win… It’s a good feeling to know you’re not running out of your league,” said Calhoun.
Similar to the boys’ team, the girls also have traditions and pre-meet strategies that landed an all-time PR of 19:27 for Calhoun and a season PR of 20:41 for Decesare at SAC.
“It’s about the ritualistic part of it. I’m very superstitious when it comes to running,” said Calhoun. “I do things that I have to do the same, like I tie my shoes a certain way, and call them my traffic cone shoes.”
Overall, SAC was a successful competition for Oviedo’s athletes, as the students, staff, and community got to see multiple runners shine in this meet. With Districts coming, SAC helped prepare the athletes for the competitive atmosphere that Districts will provide. Hopefully, the team can continue to shine, and finish off the season on a high note.
