Notre Dame’s Cross Country team is back at it again, waking up for early morning practices and running in the Belmont heat. The team competed in their first meet on September 6th in Golden Gate Park. Over two dozen schools and over 100 runners lined up their tents on the green field, preparing for the various competitions.

Assistant Coach Paul Lapke attended the opening meet and was proud of what the team accomplished.

“We asked them to run as a group, right as a pack, and they did that very well. So overall, it was a good starting point and kind of gave us an idea of where we’re at,” said Lapke.

Lapke began teaching last year and also stepped up as a track and field coach. This year, he became more involved in cross country. He looks forward to seeing the players’ improvement throughout the season.

Senior Autumn Deetz Rodriguez, and a fourth-time returner to cross country, was excited to improve this year and created a new personal best at the Golden Gate Park meet. Rodriguez also found the “last first meet” to be a bittersweet moment.

“I was relieved because it’s my last one running this race and doing cross country, but it’s also sad because it’s my last season with all my close friends that were here since freshman year,” said Rodriguez

For those who are not familiar with cross-country, but are hoping to improve their running stamina and abilities, Lapke recommends staying consistent with the sport.

[E]verybody starts someplace, and you just have to be consistent. [I]t don’t have to be the fastest [but] you just have to keep [running and] you’ll see improvements. It just takes time,” said Lapke.