In cross country going all the way to state tournaments is a huge deal and often a rare sight for most cross country teams. This year Ripon Cross Country has a varsity runner going to State! Senior Devin Fitzpatrick has broken many all-time records so far this year for running, and now all of Ripon High can’t wait to see what happens at state. But one can’t help but ask, how does he balance taking AP and honors classes, and on top of that balance being a top level athlete?

“It’s kind of hard sometimes but I would just say time management, using whatever free time I have to get work done, so I can enjoy myself. Just overall trying to balance life; trying not to burnout.” Fitzpatrick states.

 Running for such an intense sport like cross country can be very stressful preparing for a race so when it comes to State a high sense of pressure must be felt for all runners running. Fitzpatrick however, is more excited than nervous. “I’m excited because I think it’s an opportunity. I feel like my goal this season was to qualify for state, so now I just go out there and have fun with it.” An optimistic attitude can be a great motivator for many runners. Good luck to Fitzpatrick with running state in Fresno on November 25!