Meaghan Ballard out running for Sunlake’s cross country team. The cool weather changes how it feels to run.

Sunlake has an excellent cross county team up its sleeve with members that are always improving. One member of the SLHS cross country team is Meaghan Ballard, a sophomore. Meaghan was recently interviewed on her thoughts about the team. Here’s what she had to say.

The cross country team, as explained by Meaghan, is overseen by Coach Reeves and Coach Steve. In order to keep in top shape, the team practices six days a week during the season. “The team is a great social environment and the competitions we have are great to test your physical abilities,” Meaghan said when asked about the team environment. In Florida, the temperatures have been dropping as winter approaches. Meaghan shared how the falling temperatures affects running, saying that “As the weather gets colder running definitely feels easier…” and further explaining “…we do not have to worry as much about hydration or heat illness.” The ability to adapt in differing environments is an important skill for any athlete, with changing weather patterns acting as a great example of this fact.

The State Meet

Meaghan also commented on the cross country’s state meeting, which happened in Tallahassee on November 17, 2023. At the meet, the girl’s cross country got second place in 4A (Meaghan explained that “4A” is used to denote the division). It’s great to see our seahawks do so great at a state level competition! Be sure to congratulate our runners if you see one! Meaghan was very happy with her fellow teammates, saying “This is the best result the girls have ever gotten. I am very proud and grateful for my amazing teammates who worked so hard and got us to this point.”

Meaghan also touched on the team dynamics of cross country. “Coach Reeves creates an environment where the athletes help hold each other accountable. On the girls team we are all really good friends and run together and hang out outside of practice as well.” Meaghan explained. Growing the sense of community within the team is certainly a great way to keep spirts high, even when training gets tough!

Sunlake has a great cross country team; they train hard and placing second place at the state meet definitely shows that all their hard work has paid off! The team will certainly continue to improve as they train further! The team is in a good position to keep working towards further improving their skills and it will defiantly be exciting to see where they go next!