This past weekend, junior Morgan Whitley ran her best time in the state cross country championship, earning herself tenth place among all the girls in the state of Virginia. That’s a pretty huge accomplishment and certainly something that anyone would be proud of.

Yet as we began our interview, Morgan smiled shyly, her humble attitude showing with every word. She seemed quite uncomfortable talking about her own accomplishments, and it became clear that she is not one to boast about herself. Instead, she focused on her team, claiming that Cross Country is “such a team sport.”

Morgan has been on Galileo’s Cross Country and Track teams for about two years now. One of her biggest obstacles this cross country season was that she was often sick. “I was sick a lot, so that was a big obstacle,” stated Morgan. Another obstacle was that she didn't think she was fully prepared for cross country due to her always running track.

When asked what things made her successful, Morgan replied, “My team, their support and seeing them and their work outs and always trying their best really got me going,” Her team also inspired her to try her hardest whenever she would see them working their hardest. “It's such a team sport and I know if I put my all in and they put their all in, the outcome will be amazing!” exclaimed Morgan.

According to Morgan, she feels amazed that she has made it this far because in the beginning, she was not great at cross country. “It all feels surreal, but it's cool though.” she said with a big grin. Her goals for next year are to be in the top 5 list in the state and she wants to have the ability to run a sub-twenty 6k.