The varsity girls cross country team placed fifth at the 5A Kansas State Cross Country Meet on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Freshmen Amber Akin and Ellie Wilson placed sixth and eighth respectively,both earning All-State honors. Akin finished with a time of 15:32 and Wilson finished with a time of 15:33. Of the four boys who individually qualified, freshman Derek Meeks placed highest at 34th place with a time of 17:11.

According to head coach Mark Chipman, the cross country boys have qualified for state seven times and this was the girls 10th time qualifying.

“The fact that the team reached their goal of being in the top five [is what I am happiest about]. That tied our best team finish ever,” Chipman said.

Akin is pleased to earn the honor of All-State.

“It’s a big accomplishment. We’ve been training since the summer, it’s all motivation to do our best. Pain and sweat, it’s all for the race,” Akin said.

According to Akin the team couldn’t have done it without the coaches’ motivation throughout the season.

“The coaches have been very supportive. We’ve had some tough practices that have really pushed us,” Akin said. “We might not have liked [the motivation] at the moment, but it helped us.”