One of Bingham’s last sports to not get canceled finished their season in October, and they did not disappoint. Our cross country team represented us well this fall, and did everything in their power to keep on running. Despite the odds, they were still able to race through most of the season, with only a few matches canceled and postponed.

Unfortunately, they were still greatly affected, unsurprisingly, due to COVID-19. That didn’t stop them from giving their all to represent our school. Both the men’s and women’s teams earned the opportunity to compete at the state finals last month in a long and hard five-kilometer race at Soldier Hollow in Midway.

Bingham’s men’s team was unfortunately only able to send three runners to this event. This meant that they couldn’t take a place in state this year. One of the runners included Peter Young, who was Bingham’s fastest runner with a five kilometer time of 18:43.8. Young was quickly followed by Sam Sorensen, who ran a 19:10.0, and then Cody Hone, who ran a 19:44.7.

The women’s team was able to take a rank this year, however. They took 12th out of 18 teams. The women’s fastest runner for Bingham, Natalie Swain, impressively took 12th overall out of 132 competitors. Her 5 kilometer time was 21:09.5. Not long after, Abby Sorensen, who took 28th overall, finished with a 21:51.8. It was a significant race for the women’s team.

These times were no easy gig: it took both personal and team-oriented motivation to achieve them. Cheering on your team is also an effective way to improve times.

“It’s fun to be able to work hard and push your team all the way to the finish,” said Peter Young. “Racing is a lot more team-centered than people think, especially in varsity races.”

The end of the season left the men’s team in 5th, and the women’s in 3rd out of the 6 teams for our region. 

“I would say work as hard as you can, and put in as many miles in the summer as your body can take,” Young said, when asked how he thinks the team can improve for next season. 

He then explained that he always wishes he had run more than he did each summer, an extra mile can make a sizable difference. Bingham’s season went well, though, according to Young.

 “We worked super hard all season,” Young said. “We had a lot of fun and felt more like family. I’m going to miss them a lot when I graduate.”