By TIM GUERCIO

THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

NATCHEZ — The Cathedral cross-country track team is coming off of one of its most successful seasons ever, having won the MAIS 3A State Championship for the third straight year.

The team is now the three time defending state champions, winning the title in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Coach Tommy Smith is currently holding summer workouts every Monday through Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m.

“We have had 12 to 18 kids show up every night,” Smith said. “We meet on the bluff and get our work in. We ran Tuesday from the bluff to the cemetery and back.”

Smith said he is proud at the number of athletes who have come out to train and get better at their chosen sport, considering it is summer and other sports going on as well.

“We are going to need to be in top physical condition to compete this year,” Smith said. “There will be a few more teams that we will have to face this year. We don’t have any seniors, but we do have several juniors.”

Smith also has five or six seventh-graders who have come out this summer to be a part of a championship-winning program, and be a part of a high school team.

“We want them here,” Smith said. “We want to bring exposure to the younger kids and have them here for several more years. They have made a commitment to the summer training program.”

Runners need short distance training before competing in the cross-country distance of 5,000 meters or 3.1 miles, Smith said.

“We have our athletes run a 10 minute mile,” Smith said. “Then we will turn that into an 8-minute mile to develop a pace for an aerobic-based conditioning. Then for our competition in the 5K we want a race base of just under 6 minutes.”