After not having cross country for over 20 years at Conway Springs, sophomore Sydney Zoglmann is only in her second year running and knows that her best years are ahead of her. 

With being one of the few returners on her young team, Zoglmann has had to grow into a leadership position early. 

“We are a young team, but we are mighty because each and every one on my team pushes themselves to be great,” Zoglmann said, “I fully believe every single runner on my team has the capability to go to state this year.”

With Zoglmann being a strong runner, her performance starts with her mindset and the advice from her math teacher telling her to count by threes while she runs to keep a good pace and the advice from her dad telling her to “run like she stole something”. 

“My mentality while running is two things: to run my own race and focus on doing my best. Another mentality I have is the faster I run the race, the faster I get to eat,” Zoglmann said. 

On top of being a great runner, Zoglmann is an elite teammate. From cheering for everyone during races and after races to making sure everyone feels like they belong, the sophomore is all for the team.

“As a team, we like to review how we feel about our races coming up and previous ones,” Zoglmann said. “We also discuss our goals. I believe this little team meeting once a week really takes a load off the mental aspect of races, shows the coach and themselves where each member wants to be, and it helps with team building.”

The team has grown closer because of this and has really become a family. 

“What the team does to prepare for a race is carb night,” Zoglmann said. “Each member takes turns hosting a night where we eat carbs in preparation for a race that unburdens the stress and anxiety attached to a race and helps us grow closer.”