Whatever weather, cold or warm, the Lambert Cross Country team has been driven to work hard and have high hopes for this season. 

Recently, I had a conversation with the cross country head coach, James Tigue and runner Pranav Sathish discussing their expectations for this season. Coach Tigue explained his expectations for his athletes, while Sathish explained his expectations for the team and their future in competitions.

Lambert’s Cross County team has won first place numerous times in the regional championships. Recently, the varsity boys, varsity girls and the junior varsity boys teams each won first place in the Berry College Clara Bowl Invitational.

Head Coach James Tigue has been coaching the Lambert Cross Country team for eight years.  Coach Tigue has big expectations for his athletes this season, and his focus has been on commitment and effort over talent.

Not only does he prioritize each athlete’s performance, but he also focuses on teamwork and camaraderie.

However, with Covid-19 protocols, there have been major setbacks. During the Regional and State meets last year, several of Coach Tigue’s runners were not able to compete and many are still absent from practice.

“All I can do is basically wait until they get back, and try to keep the runners from congregating close to one another throughout the practices,” Coach Tigue explained.

In spite of this, Coach Tigue holds outdoor practices whenever possible, and keeps indoor sessions short.  

Even with the setbacks, he has high hopes for this season, and the runners are looking forward to competing.

Freshman Pranav Sathish has great expectations for the team.  “So far we’ve been in a mid-range [competition] placing,” Sathish stated.  “I think we [can] up that a bit.”

The Lambert cross country team has been fighting hard throughout these challenging and unprecedented times with bounds to succeed in their future endeavors, so look out for their upcoming competitions this season!