What’s next for Pitman’s Cross Country team? They certainly made a name for themselves, with current senior Avery Carlson making her way to the state championship last year, making her the second person in Pitman history to make Cross Country state championships. She then went on to make her way to the state championships in Track & Field as well.
Last track season, current juniors Eli Scott & Eli Pimentel both got the astonishing times of 4:40.81 (Pimentel) and 4:36.12 (Scott) in the 1600 meter races (or 1 mile). If you couldn’t tell already, those are some mind blowing times!
The Elis are not the only ones who are rising stars though. Athletes such as Christian Howard (11th), Giovanni Karr (10th), Jacksen Skonovd (11th), Hayden Dhanota (10th), Liam Lewis (10th), Corbin Fisher (11th), Ethan Guina (11th), and more all got times below 13:07 in the 2 mile race (CCAL #2, 2024) on the Ceres Bluff Regional Park course. Can you imagine running a 6:30 minute mile or faster, and then running another mile at that same speed? That’s an insane accomplishment. These people deserve more praise for what they do. It takes a special mentality to even be able to complete just one cross country race.
While there are people (like me) who may not get as fast of times, the energy everyone brings to the Cross Country team is the recipe for success. Not just physically, but mentally as well. The team is always supportive of one another. You can hear them screaming and cheering for their teammates during the races!
When asked about how much work it is to get to where he is, Pimentel responded, “It’s hard to be consistent with running, especially every practice that you go to, it’s running.”
So of course it’s a lot of hard work, mentally and physically to be on Cross Country. So when these athletes have these seemingly impossible achievements, it’s truly something to admire. And from the times last year, to the interview with Eli Pimentel, Pitman Cross Country is definitely going to be making a name for themselves this year!