The boy’s varsity cross country team is off to a very strong start. The team already has two wins on its record. The boys won the Ragged Mountain Cup and the Charlottesville Quad meet. One runner who has been key in these past meets is sophomore Jack Eliason.

Eliason’s life revolves around running. Eliason’s passion for running started with a single 5K race and a small middle school running club. Now Eliason trains year round with the goal of being one of the top runners in the state.

Eliason’s hard work and dedication has paid off. Last year, Eliason was running on the JV team and occasionally with the varsity squad. Eliason’s 5K times were usually within the seventeen minute range. Now Eliason is one of the top runners on the varsity squad and his personal record is a 16:17 minute 5K. Coach Girvin contributes Eliason’s success to his positive attitude. “ Every practice and meet Jack shows up with a positive attitude, even if its cold or rainy, Jack is always happy to be running,” said Coach girvin about Eliason. Eliason has not only proved himself as one of the top runners on the Western albemarle squad but also as one of the top runners in the district.

Success in cross country and most sports can usually be attributed to practice. Practice is not something that Eliason takes lightly. Eliason has practice everyday after school, and he runs on the weekends. For Eliason and Most of the boys on the western Albemarle cross country team, Saturday means longs runs. On Saturday, Eliason will run for nine to ten miles.

Eliason is a true team player. When asked about his goals for the season Eliason responded, “I’m really just focused on the team, and the goal is to win a state championship this year.” The boys will have to stay healthy and train hard but hopefully they can have a long and exciting season.