The girls cross country team at Arapahoe High School has been ranked 4th in the nation by two separate polls–DyeStat and MileSplit–for the amazing season they’ve just wrapped up. MileSplit published a great story on the team just before they went to nationals. 

Runners Mia Cardello (senior and captain), Ava Escorcia (junior), Emily Lamontagne (junior), Ava Mitchell (junior), Anna Bridges (sophomore), Karli Holmes (sophomore), and Carly Perdew (sophomore) make up this team who, in the words of head coach Jeff Krause, “act more like a family than teammates.” He further states, “This team’s success comes from working hard and working together. They are a team in the truest sense of the word. They hang out together outside of practice, they ride together to meets, and they take care of one another. They are so much fun to work with and coach.” Coach Anne Krause also had plenty of praise for the team she's clearly proud of: "They represent what is best about Arapahoe. They take care of one another on and off the race course. They are academic juggernauts. They are athletically gifted as well as extremely hardworking. And the best part of working with them all is they have hearts of gold! They love on their coaches, teammates, and community like no other. They are simply legends."

The girls cross country team at Arapahoe has a history of excellence: they won the Colorado 5A Cross Country State Championship in October of this year; Emily Lamontagne and Ava Mitchell were named First Team All-State, and Anna Bridges was named Second Team All-State. The team also won State in 2019 and were runners-up in 2020. Emily Lamontagne was also named Second Team All-American at the national race this year.

A huge and heartfelt congratulations, Warriors!

The photo above was taken at the Garmin RunningLane National Cross Country Championships, which took place on December 4, 2021 in Huntsville, Alabama. The team finished third in the race.