The Lakes Community High School Girls Cross Country team ended their season on Oct. 29 at the IHSA Sectional meet. The team placed 8th, 15 points away from 5th, which would have qualified them for state. Nonetheless, the girls had a fantastic year by their standards.

“I think we ran pretty strong and consistent all year,” sophomore Simone Lippmann said. “Sectionals was just fast and tough, everyone did the best they could, and I think overall everyone improved throughout the season,” Lippmann said.

For the seniors, it was the last time running the three miles as a Lakes Eagle. Senior and captain of the team Alyssa Stromsland reminisced on her career at Lakes.

“It was very hard for me to end cross country this year. I’ve had a lot of fun and feel like I have learned a lot during my time on the Cross Country team,” Stromsland said.

This team has especially connected this year through many activities and team bonding.

“I felt like I had the responsibility to be someone that the girls could look up to. I really enjoyed the girls this year, and we had such a good team dynamic,” Stromsland said.

The team was consistent and strong contenders all season long. They came out strong from the beginning with a first place finish at Fox River Park in a five team meet. The team also placed 5th in the Lake County Invite back in August. As the season continued, the girls continued their impressive performance and remained a threat to other teams.

They placed 3rd out of 22 teams at the Racine Horlick Invite. The team was led by Olivia Schmitt, Rae Dwyer, and Simone Lippmann. As the season came to a close, the girls refused to give up and dashed their way to a victory at the Regional Championship meet. Freshman Olivia Schmitt was the overall champion with a time of 18:51. Although the girls would have hoped for more after sectionals, the team had a great season thanks to the coaching of Keith West and their hard work and dedication.