The WRA Girls Cross Country team continued to impress with their resilience and steady improvement this past week, highlighted by a mix of personal milestones, team growth, and a gutsy showing at the Sandy Valley Invitational on Saturday.

The week began with several runners completing key time trials, marking major progress toward team goals. Three athletes successfully finished a full 5K, while others posted personal improvements in their two-mile runs. Coach Marmerstein's training group continues to focus on three clear objectives: getting healthy, building endurance to complete the 5K distance, and breaking the 30-minute barrier to qualify for invitational races. The team's collective determination and commitment to those goals have been unmistakable.

Saturday's invitational brought a smaller varsity squad to the starting line, as just three runners represented WRA—but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in toughness. Despite battling illness, Kobi Marsden '28 showed remarkable resolve, pushing through to finish in 21:52, only four seconds off her previous week's time when fully healthy. Her performance was a testament to both her grit and her consistency as the team's top runner.

Ellie Flores '27 and captain Leah Petras '27 ran side by side for much of the race, encouraging each other through the challenging course. In the final stretch, Ellie pulled ahead to finish strong despite heavy legs from the school's annual Powder Puff game, while Leah capped off the day with her best time in more than a year, a reward for months of persistence and hard work following her recovery from injury.

Coach Warner praised the trio's perseverance, noting that "grit matters—and these runners are as tough and competitive as anyone out there."

With the team focused on staying healthy and building momentum, the Pioneers now turn their attention to the Gilmour Academy Invitational this Friday afternoon, where they'll look to continue their upward trajectory in the second half of the season.