Running in the fall can be difficult because the weather is not always reliable, but this past Friday (Oct.10) was the perfect day for a race. The Mercy Cross Country team raced at Willow Metropark in a meet called the River Rat. The team placed seventh out of 15. Overall, the team’s season has had both highs and lows.

This year, the team grew by six girls amounting to a group of 21. The River Rat is also the Regional Course, so it was good practice for the Marlins. Many of the teams that ran in the River Rat  will be in the Marlins’ regional as well. This meet was a good way to test the waters and to see how well the Marlins will do at regionals.

“I think that the River Rat meet was a good opportunity for the rookies to learn the course… and really good practice for the whole team,” said sophomore Kaitlin McHenry.

The next meet is Catholic Leagues and it will be held on Oct. 18 at Kensington Metropark. The course is full of challenging hills which can be difficult if rain is in the area. Since this is such a tough course, the girls are preparing as well as they can.

“The team can improve if everyone works hard at practice, so that they will be ready for working harder in the meets,” said McHenry.