Pushing through the 98-degree heat and a two-hour delay, girls’ varsity cross-country united to dominate districts at North Forest High School on Oct. 3.

The team won overall first place, securing their regional spot in the 5000 meter 18-6A meet with Sophia Hamdani coming in first at 20:04.32, Elizabeth Gamero placing fourth at 21:2.00 and junior Mia Noamuz placing fifth at 21:29.63.

For varsity runner and junior Elizabeth Gamero, her 5000 meter run at districts was bittersweet.

“This was actually one of my best races so far all season,” Gamero said. “This race was very emotional. I realized, as the gun was about to go off, I was running with Sophia Hamdani one last time.”

Gamero met Hamdani in seventh grade at Pin Oak Middle School on the cross-country team. They have run together every year since then.

“At the end of the day, it’s the people within the community that are just wonderful,” Gamero said. “Running isn’t just running; it’s sharing love, sharing community, sharing tough times together — going through highs and lows together.”

Together the team pushed through a long season to end with a real and emotional win at districts.

“Our team won districts. Tears were running down my face, tears I haven’t gotten in a while, [from] that feeling of working so hard all season and everything falling into place,” Gamero said.

For varsity senior captain Sophia Hamdani, her race at the meet was not just about qualifying for regionals, but for the reflection of the season and the people she met along the way.

“There’s something about making friends with people outside of our school and with other schools in the district,” Hamdani said. “It is so much fun, and [our team] also gets to see [other teams at districts].”

During Hamdani’s freshman and sophomore year, the number of girls on the team was around 10. Now, the entire team has around 50 runners overall, with the girls numbers soaring.

“It inspires me,” Hamdani said. “[My teammates] are the reason why I want to get up and be able to run with these awesome people every day. I think we got really blessed with a great team atmosphere.”

Hamdani was voted captain at the start of the year and navigated the role through team meetings with Coach Meekins and Coach Aguilar. Keeping the same energy, she focused on trying to help uplift the team.

“I focused on incorporating myself a little bit more than I usually have and being more intentional,” Hamdani said. “I guess it was just pouring interest in and just being where we can help the team.”

Starting in July, the team practiced every morning at 7 a.m. Once the school year started, practices shifted to 5:45 a.m. until 7:30 a.m.

“Everybody on the team is so nice,” Hamdani said. “For it being 6 a.m., people are ready to put the work in.”

Coach Aguilar noticed the effort the athletes have poured into practices.

“The girls have been working really hard for a long time,” Aguilar said. “So it was very well deserved, with them being district champs.”

For Aguilar, coaching was not about getting the team to regionals, but allowing them to grow through the process.

“When I’m coaching my athletes, I try to make sure I’m not over-pushing them,” Aguilar said. “But when it’s time to push, we’re not gonna hold back, we’re gonna push.”

Aguilar understands the mental aspect of running and experienced her own journey as a runner in college.

“Every workout, I was giving 110%, but with distance running, you can’t rush it,” Aguilar said. “It takes time, and you have to know mentally when to pull back and when your limit is.”

She learned this firsthand in college after being injured due to increasing her mileage too fast. Aguilar used her own relationship with running to guide her coaching and how the team views her.

“I want to make sure they know that I’m there for them not only as an athlete but also just [as] a person,” Aguilar said. “[I want to be] an adult in their life that wants them to be successful in everything that they do.”

With a victorious win at districts, the team heads into regionals on Oct. 15 at Huntsville. Hamdani hopes for the team to enjoy the experience and embrace their meet.

“We’re gonna be with our team for the last time,” Hamdani said. “We’re just going to make the most of it.”