For many fall sports, the season is finally coming to a close, but for the girls cross country team, the excitement is just beginning.

After second place finishes at both the conference meet on Oct. 13 and at regionals this past weekend, coach Rosette Ochoa feels more than confident about her team’s chances to continue to state.

“We have just so much depth in our team. And it’s not even just our top seven,” Ochoa explained. “We have a really strong top postseason crew. I feel like I could put any one of them and we’d have an awesome chance of going to state.”

While the team is much deeper than just their top seven, five individual runners qualified for the All Conference recognition. Senior Abby Osterland, juniors Ciara Connell and Eavan Norman, sophomore Mia Dzwierzynski and freshman Cate Lynch lead the pack all season long.

The following weekend at the regional meet, Osterland, Norman and Lynch excelled again placing 6th, 11th and 14th respectively. With such success in these meets, the team’s confidence is riding high going into the sectionals this weekend.

“The confidence piece is huge. Making sure they are confident going into sectionals and just finishing the race knowing that they have nothing left. I want them to finish being very happy with their race,” Ochoa said.

Sectionals take place tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 27, at Niles West.