LAPLACE — Cross country isn’t a sport that gets a lot of recognition, but St. Charles Catholic Coach Brandi Adams said the kids on her team are some of the hardest working individuals she knows.

They willingly get up before 6 a.m. on a Saturday, ready and eager to run a three-mile track. Runners give it their all, whether they are competing in perfect sunshine or trekking through mud puddles in 30 degree weather.

This season has been special for the St. Charles Catholic Cross Country team, according to Adams. She said this year has been marked by hard work and consistent improvement.

“In pretty much every race, we’ve been chopping off seconds to minutes on our time,” Adams said. “I’ve got some runners reducing their races by up to three minutes and some reducing by 30 seconds, but everyone’s improving, which is great. I’m very proud of them.”

Saturday’s Catholic High School Invitational Meet was the most successful meet yet in terms of team members breaking personal records, according to Adams.

The girls’ varsity team opened with team captain Gabriella Portillo. The Comets junior broke her personal record on the course by nine seconds, finishing three miles with a time of 21:56.03. Her younger sister, Juliana Portillo, broke her personal record by 47 seconds and finished with a time of 23:02.72. Courtney Brouwer finished third on the varsity team with a time of 23:14.92.

Honorable mentions for the girls included Jessica Basilides and Yvette Aguirre.

Team captain Gregory Bergeron leads the boys’ varsity team. Bergeron, a senior, broke his personal record and achieved his goal to finish in less than 19 minutes, coming in with a time of 18:40.47. Senior Devon Rucker wasn’t far behind, coming in at 19:19.88.

Meanwhile, senior Luke Ringe broke his personal record with a time of 19:50.53. Junior Timmy Capdeboscq and senior Kevin Dauenhauer showed notable improvement over their times from last year.

Capdeboscq shaved more than three minutes off his previous time, coming in at 21:02.50. Dauenhauer also broke his personal record by 30 seconds to finish at 21:32.91.

Adams looks forward to seeing more personal records broken at the Oct. 31 District Meet in Audubon Park. The competitive state meet will be held Nov. 18 at Northwestern State University.

“I have people on the team who just flat out love to run, and they don’t mind running five miles,” Adams said. “My kids have the heart of a beast. It’s amazing what they will put themselves through rain or shine. They really go the extra mile. They have the grit and the perseverance that they need to be successful long term in life.”

Many of the runners on the team are multi-sport athletes, ACT 30+ Club members and dual enrollment students already completing college coursework.

The community can help support the St. Charles Catholic cross country team by purchasing a meal from Raising Cane’s on Airline Hwy. in LaPlace from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 17.

“You must mention SCC cross country for the team to receive a percentage of your sales,” Adams said.

The team is also participating in a school fundraiser by selling pink athletic socks throughout the month of October. A portion of the proceeds will go toward medical expenses for breast cancer patients. Socks are $8 each and can be picked up at the St. Charles Catholic front office.