The cross country season has started and our Ripon High runners are excited and ready to start a great season. This year we welcomed 7 freshman girls and 8 freshman boys. Out of the two meets they have already had, the girl’s varsity had gotten 1 and 2. The JV boys and girls have also been doing good this season. As for the boy’s varsity, they haven’t had much success but have been pushing through. 

Annie Wild runs first for the girl’s varsity team. She has been running for three years and made it to state her freshman year. Wild is also one of the leaders on the team. 

“I love that I have the opportunity to lead the team and model for the younger runners. I feel great about my race at the Lagoon Valley Invitational. I ran a 21 flat, coming in eighth for the small school varsity girls division. The course is definitely one of the more difficult. The hills are steep, which is hard for me as a runner from the valley.” stated Wild, junior. 

Leah Van Dorst is the only senior on the Ripon High cross country team. She has been running for three years and is now the girl’s varsity team.
“My favorite thing about cross country has been the community of runners and the team. Everyone even during the middle of the races is so supportive of each other even if you’re from different schools. We all go out and cheer each other on and I don’t think you get that big sense of community across a sport like that anywhere else.” Said Van Dorst, senior.

Devin Fitzpatrick is a first-year varsity boys cross country runner. He is also a track athlete conditioning to become better. 

“I felt really well about this race. I believe many of us enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to more throughout the season. I feel we as a team really did well in it and had a lot of team bonding moments from it. I think this is a good start to the season because in a way we are all prepared.” stated Fitzpatrick, sophomore. 

The Ripon High cross country team is conditioning and running hard to represent the world’s greatest high school!