The cross country season has ended for the Peninsula girls, but this season was very different from the rest. A mix of new and veteran runners returned this year all hungry for more competition.

The team rose through the rank as the season went on and ended up winning league with an undefeated record. Eventually they ended their season at the state championships in Pasco. They ended 10th as a team, five places better than last year.

“We had some really strong returners and some really strong newcomers and they came together and meshed well,” said new head coach, Tyler Nugent.

Nugent had large shoes to fill as the historical Joel Wingard retired last year. He was surprised with an overall strong base of runners. One of the largests shocks on the team was first time cross country runner Ashley Fahey.

“I trained all over the summer with the team, but there is definitely room to improve for next year,” said Fahey.

This was her first year on the team, and she made a great impact, leading the team with the fastest overall time. She said she had a blast this season, but is focused on getting better for the coming track and cross country.

“We ran as a pack and it worked really well for us,” said Fahey.

Someone who ran with this pack and also led the team was Amanda Wikramanayake. She was a top runner this year, contributing to the girls’ success at State. She has ran with Peninsula for two seasons after coming in as a transfer from Bellarmine High School.

Coach Nugent added that the runners success came out of their consistent hard work and chemistry. What made this team so strong was how deep they were, with very strong runners from every class. With a powerful backbone, the girls succeeded together throughout this season.

As well as they did this season, the girls are coming back more hungry than ever. They will be working hard this offseason and most of them will be participating in track as well. This season was no doubt one of the best for Peninsula Girls XC.

“I just enjoyed my last year with the team and everyone made it very special,” said Wikramanayake.