Over the years, the Franklin Central girls cross country team has been taking Indiana by storm. During the 2021 season, the team put in great effort and ended up qualifying for the IHSSA state cross country meet. So far this season, the girls team placed five runners in the Marion County Championship while the boys team placed six runners. Both boy and girl teams ended up winning sectionals with 17 points just shy of a perfect score. Cross country is widely known as a hard sport due to all of the physical challenges. So when someone chooses to join such a time consuming sport, they most likely have a reason. Sophomore Evelyn Medina has not strayed far from the spotlight in these last years for her astounding cross country ability. “I joined cross country after I quit my last sport. I needed something new to do,” she says. Anyone with siblings knows what it's like to have sibling rivalry, and twin sisters, Savanna and Dakota Miller have their own special way of dealing with it. The twins have a special connection when it comes to running together. “It's nice to have my sister on the team and also competitive because I always want to beat her, but she's still always on our team supporting each other by telling each other encouraging words,” Savanna Miller says. Dakota adds on to her sister's statement saying, “Sometimes it can be hard because we both are so competitive since we run around the same pace but she pushes me to do better and go farther.” Medina was lucky enough to have a positive mentor in her life that helped her start her running journey. “My uncle Frank inspired me to run because he ran in high school and loved it. He told me about it and encouraged me to give it a try,” she says. Both Millers started their long distance running careers freshman year and made a great impact on both cross country and track teams. “Sweetman recruited us and kept asking us to come join,” Savanna Miller says. Both boys and girls teams have been fortunate to be coached by Matt Sweetman. Sweetman has been running since fifth grade and has been coaching cross country and track for the past fifteen years. Being a coach can be difficult at times, but Sweetman likes to find the light at the end of the tunnel. “I think it's like the “aha” moment teachers have when a student finally grasps a concept they've been working so hard on. We have many different levels of physical education, but it's so rewarding to see two completely different put-together runners of very different physical gifts accomplish the same thing,” Sweetman says. Sweetman also adds that he loves the relationship that he makes with the runners and watches them go on to make astounding accomplishments. As a coach, Sweetman has his own beliefs about goals for the team. “I don't set goals for our team; our athletes do that. That might sound weird, but in any team sport if your athletes aren't all invested in a goal they came up with, you're going to fall short of meeting your potential,” he says. However, the team has some goals for themselves. “A goal I have for the team is to first make it to State and then place at State,” Savanna Miller says. Medina shares the same idea with Savanna Miller, saying, “I would love it if the team made it to State and is able to be up on the podium.” For each team member, they set their own personal goals for their seasons. For Savanna Miller she wants to cut down her mile times. “I would like to cut my time down to 19 minutes,” She says. For Medina, her personal goal is to be one of the top five runners. As an athlete, you face challenges in your sport. Savanna Miller says her biggest challenge is making sure that she sets a good example on and off the field. “Making sure that I am doing the right things outside of practice so I don't let them, my teammates, down,” she says. Medina says that her biggest challenge was working up to where she is right now. “My first year of running was hard because I wanted to catch up to the top people. Getting to the spot I am right now was hard because I had days where I thought about quitting but I just kept pushing,” she says. While you might face challenges, there can always be a reward at the end. “The biggest reward of being part of a team is when we go up together when we win meets and having the chance to meet some of my best friends now, it makes practice a lot more fun,” she says. Dakota Miller says that her biggest reward of being a runner is the aftermath of a meet. “After you win a meet and go up on the podium it really makes you feel good about yourself,” she says. Mental health is important when playing such a demanding sport. Dakota Miller says that one of her biggest challenges is her mental attitude. “Staying mentally confident is one of my biggest challenges but I usually read positive quotes and do things throughout the day that will uplift my mood,” she says. This past week, the cross country teams competed in Marion County Championships. Both the girls and boys teams ranked in the top ten. Sweetman believes that as long as the athletes believe that they did good that's all that matters. Savanna Miller agrees with Sweetman, saying, “It doesn't matter how good you are because it's fun no matter what. You will start off with less and then keep adding mileage,” she says. For Sweetman, he doesn't see losing a meet a failure; he sees it as a learning experience. “I may be alone in this, but I think failure is necessary in order to be successful. Everyone can get better, and you get better by learning from mistakes and applying them to the future,”he says. Sweetman is very thankful that the cross-country team has a positive outlook. “We have a great team culture. I think a sign of a great culture is how good of a teammate is someone after they ran great, as opposed to how good of a teammate they are after they ran just ran horribly. Our kids are just invested in teammates,” he says.