The sun was shining, but the air was brisk. The deceiving sun was not the only thing that caught the girls cross-country team off guard at Regionals–they surprised themselves.

The Lake Central girls cross-country team members were alarmed but ecstatic to claim the Regionals trophy as their own on Oct. 19 at Lemon Lake.

“My team and I were very surprised [to win Regionals]. We did not think we would overall get first place team. We were all very happy,” Sarah Hunsley (9) said.

Hunsley was the first member of Lake Central’s team to cross the finish line. She came in third place overall in the race, and finished with a time of 19:44.

“It felt amazing at the end. I did not think I would be up with all the older girls,” Hunsley said.

Lake Central’s goal was to have two runners finish in the top five places at Regionals. Megan Zajac (11) trailed behind Hunsley in fourth place, which helped the team accomplish their goal.

“I thought that I could have done better but my past couple of races have been a little off so today was definitely an improvement,” Zajac said.

Each of the seven girls representing Lake Central finished the race in the top 40 out of 86 total runners.

“I am very happy we won Regionals, especially because I know some of the girls were not feeling great,” Zajac said.

With an overall score of 53, Lake Central proved once again they are a force to be reckoned with. The team will advance to Semi-State, which will take place on Oct. 26 at New Prairie High School.

“We are very excited and a little nervous because we have a great chance to go the State meet,” Jade Tazbir (12) said, ”but it could also go the other way if we do not run as well.”