Mallory Hermanson attends Arizona Lutheran Academy (ALA) and is a member of the AIA's Student SID program. Photos by ALA senior, Camden Jordan.

Arizona:  A hot but beautiful state. With its glaring sun and dry landscape, many wouldn’t dare to run in some of the hottest temperatures. Yet, that’s exactly what ALA’s cross country team does—and on a daily basis. 

This year, as students returned to classes, many were excited to join back into sports. Many ALA students joined the cross country team, which boasts a grand total of thirty-one runners! The team has fourteen returning runners and is happy to take on seventeen new student-athletes for this season.

Coach Ben Priebe returns as assistant. When asked about his wishes for the team this year, Coach Priebe stated, “My hope for each student-athlete is that they continue to model a love for Jesus by working hard in practice and by strengthening relationships with coaches and other runners.” Joining the team this year is Mrs. Samantha List, new head coach and one of the English teachers at ALA. Coach List commented that she hopes that “individuals improve overall, overcome running plateaus, and show a positive attitude when supporting teammates.” 

The team has competed in two meets, and the results are telling on the amount of work the team has already exhibited this early in the season. At the first meet, which took place at Wickenburg, the team saw twenty-two personal records broken during the 5K. Coach List recalls the meet being fun as it rained that day and the temperature dropped to the low 80°s. The team also got to witness a rainbow and gorgeous mountain views during and after the race. 

During the meet at Ojo Rojo, the team competed against fifty-one other schools. The team saw great success, with twenty-four out of twenty-eight runners setting a new personal record (that’s 86%). Many runners broke their records by a few minutes, some even by seven minutes! Coach List says it was “incredible improvement.” 

On Friday, Sept. 24, the team is setting off to Desert Twilight, which is set to host over 200 schools from across the state. Watch ALA's social media pages for race photos.

Coach List summed up her interview stating that she is “more concerned with personal growth over team success, though I believe that we have a very strong team this year and may enjoy quite a bit of success in our division.” 

With the high praises the team and coaches have received so far, there is no doubt that ALA has quite the talented team this year.