Striding into their first meet of the season, cross country is racing bright and early on Saturday for the Plano Invitational at Russell Creek Park.

Varsity girls’ 5k will begin at 8:00 a.m. with the varsity boys’ race following at 8:30 a.m.

“Our mindset is very positive, especially since we don’t have as many people but we are excited,” sophomore Jada Williams said. “My hopes are that all of us can place and get good times so it sets us up well for the rest of the meets and that we just have fun while we are out there.”

For her final season, senior Suzanne Ramirez is hopeful for a strong start.

“The team’s goal for our first meet this Saturday would be just to try our hardest and see where we’re at competition-wise,” Ramirez said. “Some of our hopes for the rest of the season is to be able to make it to the region and overall have a blast with all girls on our team through practices and the meets.”