On Saturday, Nov. 5  Hinsdale Central’s boys’ varsity cross country team took second place at state. 

This past weekend, Aden Bandukwala, junior, took home first place, Daniel Watcke, senior, took third, and the team as a whole placed second. The team had a lot of preparation for their win.

Preparations started in early June. In order to maximize improvement, the team built up their training throughout the season, and then started to run a little less as the team went through regionals and sectionals. 

“We stress to the team that each competition is really no different than any other,” said James Westphal, coach. “They still prepare the same, they race the same distance each meet, and we are fortunate to race against some of the best programs week in and week out which is great preparation for the higher stakes meets.” 

When the state championship came, it was time to show off all of their hard work. 

“It was nerve racking,” Bandukwala said.

Despite the nerves, the team performed well as a team and individually all across the board. 

“Before each race Coach Lawrence reads a passage from a book about relaxation,” said Grant Miller, senior. 

Those final moments of preparation are very crucial to the team and help the boys relax and get in the zone for the up and coming race.

What a great outlook from the team as this fantastic season comes to an end.