![The cross country team poses for the camera after finishing the district meet. The varsity boys, JV boys and JV girls all placed third and the varsity girls placed fourth. “Coach put in the right training for us for this season, so I think we will be peaking this week and the next couple of weeks,” varsity runner and junior Nathan Kukla said. “The chances of making it to state are very high, but we don’t settle for the lowest and there is always going to be that chance, so [we] race for the best.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heidi-831-1200x900.jpg)
![Sucking in a breath of air, freshman Lily Pope competes in the 200 yard individual medley. On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. “My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/POPE-1200x804.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, Author Ehigbor Okosun, members of Page Turners, and other students reflect on the author's visit. “I thought the visit was great,” Senior Amia De Leon said. “It was interesting talking to her and [getting to know] her process and her thoughts and books in general. But I think the reason it went well [was that] people got to ask questions. I'm glad that she said so much in response to the questions and it wasn't just one and done. [The author’s responses] felt very articulate.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sebastian-5-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the field at a freshman football game, cheerleader freshman Jacob Gaudreau along with teammate freshman Bella Gibson pose for a photo during halftime of game. “[Cheer has] definitely given me a much more outgoing personality,” Gaudreau said. “I used to be very introverted, so it's definitely made me more extroverted towards people.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ingrid-204-1200x800.jpg)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Swinging with his arm extended, senior Nolan Park hits the ball smoothly over the net and to the opponent’s side. Park is one of four varsity tennis captains and helped the team win district championships. “Winning district champs was a pretty awesome feeling,” Park said. “We had lost to Liberty Hill a couple of weeks before, but when we played them [again], we came out and really took care of business. We took them out and it was just a really awesome night.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kassidy-419.jpg)
![Standing proud, varsity senior athletes Rafael Escobar, Griffin Jacobs, Jakob Martin, and juniors Jackson Springer and Jack Morris pose with their newly earned medals. The varsity team finished third out of 14 teams on Sept. 25. “The team's primary goal is to win the district championship,” head coach Cody Price said. "We're confident that with our action plan in place, we can accomplish this mission. [For the next tournament], our preparation involves assessing our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating milestones and creating individual development plans." Photo courtesy of Cody Price](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/golf.jpg)
When track season began in February, the team looked forward to improving on last season’s accomplishments. While the team lacked experience last year, it has new goals and is hard at work this year. Determination has been a key focal point for this year, and has helped the young team drive towards success.
“Last year we were a young team and didn’t have enough guys who could run on varsity so our varsity team did not have the best season,” Zach Santiago, senior, said. “We still had a few guys though, especially those on the Cross Country team who had some success.”
While the team struggled last year, the focus is not about how they performed, it’s about how they are going to perform this year. The boys have begun to rally together and are already seeing some success. The team ran in the Hutto Invitational on March 6 and came in first at the meet. Some of the team’s runners enjoyed individual successes as well. Jay McIllece, Cameron Shoppach and Herbert Gutierrez won first place in their individual runs. Not only did the boys win the meet, at the end of it they became the first ranked team in the nation in the 4×6 200 meter relay.
“When it comes to distance we’ve already raced a lot of the top guys at district and regionals,” Cameron Shoppach, senior, said. “The track team as a whole has a good fighting chance at district.”
Even though the team is young, it has put in extra work to get to the next level as a team. As much as track might seem to be an individual sport, members realize they are also a team and are striving to work together as one, scheduling extra practices to help all members get stronger. The team has come together and accepted its new members.
“It’s a different group of girls, but [this season] is better in some respects,” Suzy Dailey, sophomore, said. “The incoming class of freshman girls are really sweet.”
The team members and coaches have also made chemistry an important factor in the team’s dynamic, building team bonds and friendships. By working together, the team is attempting to make individual weakness less of a factor.
“Our team and coaches have really great chemistry, and everyone is willing to do whatever we have to do to make the team better as a whole, and to make everyone better,” Santiago said.
Coming into the season, the team faced some hefty competition from schools across the district. Members assessed their competition and came up with strategies to finish on top.
“This year, Georgetown is really tough. They have some really great runners, [and] a really good team, and they are in our district. They’re a tough challenge,” Santiago said.
Even though some runners only participate in track, the sport is appealing to athletes from other sports and activities too. This year, the team has runners who participate in football, cross country, band and basketball. Track takes a lot of focus and dedication and is a form of off-season training for these other students.
“I like track because it’s an easy way to work out, and it tests your strengths and weaknesses. It makes you try new ways to keep yourself in shape,” Alexandra Hansen, sophomore, said.
Timberwolf Track is doing a great job with the team they have, and if they keep working together and focus on the future, they’re bound to accomplish their goals.
