After placing 9th out of 22 girls at the CIF Central Section Division V race, sophomore Maddie Yee accepts an award at a ceremony for the girls’ 3-mile race at Woodward Park, Nov. 12.

Although she experienced pre-run jitters, Yee eventually got a feel for the course and overcame her initial fear.

“In the beginning it was really nerve-racking because I felt a lot of pressure that I had to qualify for state,” Yee said. “Although scary at first, once the gun shot off, I was ready to run my hardest and give it my all. Placing ninth and qualifying for state was something I never thought would happen, but it was definitely a feeling of accomplishment.”

Yee’s time was 24:09, which was a personal best. She beat her time by .30 seconds and qualified for the CIF Central Section State Cross Country Championship, Nov. 27.

For more information, read the Cross-country sport shorts.