Excitement and adrenaline are in the air at Nottoway Park on Sept 18 as McLean cross country prepares for their district meet against Langley.

Although everyone is eager to run, the team is most looking forward to the celebration that follows. They have spent the week prior preparing for senior night.

“Senior night commemorates the seniors who’ve been on the team for forever, [who] have been the leaders and role models,” senior Jerrick Bravo said.

Cross country planned many ways to honor their seniors, such as capes and crowns for the seniors to wear during the race. It is a tradition for seniors to walk the meet preceding senior night.

“[I’m excited] to walk this meet, without a doubt, I’ve seen seniors do it for like four years, and I’m ready to do it now,” senior Katherine Walker said.

Each member of the team was assigned a senior to make a personalized poster for. After the race, each senior received their poster.

“I’ve seen [senior night] since… freshman year and it’s something I’ve never [actually] imagined I’d be part of,” senior Liam A’Hearn said.

To conclude the fun-filled night, the coaches prepared a few words to say about each senior. After each member has been acknowledged, they pose for a picture in front of a banner that reads “congrats McLean XC seniors”.

“[Senior night is] really nice, you feel really accomplished that you’ve made it this far, persevered so long, gone through all the hard work and made it through all the shin splints,” senior Ella Hinckley said.