With a strong returning roster, the cross country team strives to once again qualify for states, senior and captain Finley Craig said. 

Craig said the combination of skilled freshmen and few roster changes despite seniors graduating has strengthened the team. 

“We only lost one varsity girl last year, and we just got a lot of really fast freshmen, so we’re doing really well,” Craig said. “Varsity boys also got some fast runners, so overall, Paly is doing great.”

Coach Michael Davidson said he is pleased with the performance of his team so far, but there is still a lot to improve.

“They’ve got a pretty good base. It’s just a matter of fine tuning and adding some tempo and speed work in,” Davidson said. “We want to continue growth and development for all the athletes to get faster and stronger.” 

The team qualified for states last year, a strong performance that Davidson said he thinks they can do again. 

“There’s some tough competition, but we can ultimately win our leagues and qualify both the boys and girls teams to the state meet,” Davidson said. 

In the team’s first Santa Clara Valley Athletic League meet on Sept. 20, the girls team placed second while the boys team finished first.

Following the team’s performance at this meet, Craig said she is hopeful for the remainder of the season.

Craig said, “The team is awesome, I really hope we make it to states.”