Sophomore Lucy Foltz won the District Cross Country Championships in a time of 19:05. Since Foltz does not live in the Kingwood Park zone, she competed on JV all of last season and dominated the field. Her first year on varsity has been strong and she hopes to qualify for state during the Regional Meet on Tuesday.

How much do you train for cross country?

“I train every day, except Sundays – around six miles a day.”

Who’s your biggest motivation?

“My biggest motivation is probably my mother. I always try to do things for her because she’s always so nice to me.”

What do you do to prepare for meets?

“To prepare for me to always get a good night’s rest and make sure to eat a good meal before my race. And I just try to be calm.”

What do you do to stay focused during a run?

“I try to focus on myself more than the people around me, because I feel like the people around me don’t matter. And I just say, ‘Go fast. Don’t slow.'”

How did you feel after you won the district meet?

“I was really happy after I won. I wasn’t sure if I was going to win, but during the race I was like pushing it and afterwards it felt good.”

What have been the biggest challenges and what have you done to try to overcome that?

“Last year I was on JV because I couldn’t be on varsity, so I was winning all the time. And now I’m like not winning all the time and there’s more competition. So that’s been a struggle. But I just have to remember, you’re not always going to be the best. You have to work hard to get that.”

What has been your highlight so far?

“My highlight was probably when we went on an overnight trip to Dallas and I ran my fastest time.”

What is your individual goal at region?

“My individual goal at region is to make top 8, which would let me go to state. And then I want to try to break the school record, which is 18:37.”

How have you prepared for the next round?

“I’ve been making sure to get a lot of sleep. I haven’t been running as hard just so my legs are fresh. And I’ve been trying to stay positive.”