Amid pressure to win the first meet of the season, Summit Cross Country swept the Caldera 5k on Saturday, kicking off the team’s quest for their 15th consecutive state title. Since winning state and regionals last year, the program has undergone major changes, and a younger generation of runners has taken the reins. 

“The team culture this year is definitely different, we had over 20 seniors graduate last year and our team is considerably smaller,” said Eva Dicharry, a sophomore who competed at nationals last year. In addition to losing many athletes, the team has few seniors.

While the girl’s varsity team is almost entirely new—only two of the top seven Summit runners in the women’s varsity race on Saturday were upperclassmen, neither had run varsity consistently last year—their reputation has not changed.

In addition to maintaining a positive team culture, one of Ella Kissel’s goals is to “win obviously… uphold the reputation we’ve built,” said the junior and team captain. No one wants to break the state championship streak that’s as old as many of the runners.

For any high school athlete, attention from newspapers and other media outlets can be stressful. But for a young team that is still learning the ropes, will this pressure be even more detrimental?

“I think that we are all aware that we as a team are being watched… it’s intimidating to have to uphold those achievements,” explains Dicharry. As the season continues, Summit’s girl’s team will continue to strive for greatness amid pressure and potential setbacks.