The girls varsity cross country meet between Huntley High School, Cary Grove High School, and Dundee-Crown High School took place last Tuesday, Sep. 29, at 4:15 p.m. The event was a 3 mile race with the runners starting on the field next to the outside track. 

After looping all the way around the stands, the girls dashed back onto the track for a final sprint to the finish line. Sophomore Breanna Burak finished with a time of 18 minutes and 40 seconds, claiming first place.

This impressive achievement earned her many cheers and shouts of excitement from fans watching from the bleachers as well as her teammates who were right behind her. Coach Matthew Kaplan was pleased to see one of Huntley’s athletes on top. 

“Getting wins against [Cary Grove] and [Dundee-Crown] earned our teams a spot in the top flight of the conference meet which was our season goal from the start,” Kaplan said. 

Though her win was well-deserved, Burak had to run fast and push through to beat the competition. 

“[Cary Grove and Dundee-Crown] boys and girls teams are solid competition,” Kaplan said. “The challenge for my group was to see how they responded through the middle mile of the race. That’s the toughest part of the race.”

Even though some runners did not finish the 3 mile race, the team as a whole accomplished their goal through their steadfast resolve and constant support of each other. 

“Our team… is extremely supportive, always running to go cheer on whoever is running at the moment,” senior runner Grace Garcia said. 

Hopefully, the girls will keep up with the amazing work. We cannot wait to see more of the team’s progress as the year continues.