As first semester draws to a close, so to did the varsity cross country’s season.

For nearly three months, the team had practiced together almost every day of the school week, and their hard work paid dividends.

“Everyone has worked really hard, so it’s nice to see it pay off,” co-captain Leyla Namazie ’17 said.

The team’s final meet was on Nov. 2, and the Panthers took home 3rd place.

However, Namazie’s season was lengthened with a surprise trip to the individual CIF preliminary round. Namazie arrived at the meet in Riverside not expecting to run, but just before the race was to start, she was told she qualified.

“It was anxious and a little overwhelmed at first, but I finished,” she said. “It wasn’t a PR [personal record] or anything, but under the circumstances I understand. I was totally not mentally in it when I started running.”

Namazie finished in respectable 36th place in the CIF-SS Division 5 race. She was unable to advance to finals.

“It was a really cool, really fun experience,” Namazie said.

Multiple team members were recognized for their hard work this season. Runners Caitlin Chen ’19, Kaia Turowski ’17 and Namazie were all named First Team All League.

“I’ve been running cross country since sixth grade, so it’s taught me so much — not just about running, but also about school and having a good mindset, Namazie said. “I just tell myself I can do it. The worse case scenario is just to stop, nothing bad will happen. Just go for it.”