Since mid-August, Eagan’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams have been trampling their opponents, and look to continue that trend as the climax of their season draws nearer.

Although their successes resemble those of previous years, the girls claim that this season is very unique.

“This season differs from others because I feel like our varsity team is very close and we all have become very good friends. We also have a good pack of girls on the JV team,” shared captain Anna Van Wyk. “This year we have also been doing a lot more team-bonding activities, like our camping trip in the summer, and yoga and strength training during the season.”

The girls won the Dewey Minneart Invitational at St. Croix Bluffs, and have finished in the top three for their two other meets. According to Van Wyk, they prepare for each race by discussing time goals and visualizing the course while listening to “Reach” by Gloria Esteban.

The boys and girls will send their top 20 racers to Wausau, Wisconsin to compete in the Simley Invitational on Saturday.

Boys’ captain Bailey LaChance said of the upcoming meet, “It’s always a really fun trip. We did pretty well there last year.” He added that he is interested to see what the results will be this year because he believes the current team to be even better.

“We’re doing a lot better than we thought we would. We have a lot of younger guys stepping up, and our JV team has done very well in all of the meets,” LaChance continued. One of his goals is to see the team return to state.

The boys won the Dakota Classic, placed 3rd at the Dewey Minneart Invitational, and were 12th out of 20 teams at the Lakeville North “Apple Jack” Invitational.

With over a month remaining until their last races, Eagan’s cross country has many more miles to run this fall.