To play a sport in every season of each of your four years of high school is already an astonishing feat, but to run (whether that be cross-country, winter track, track-and-field) for all 12 seasons is an unbelievable accomplishment. That is just what senior, Elizabeth Mitchell, has done during her time at Masters. Now in the spring season of her senior year, she is nearing the end of a dedicated career as a Masters athlete.

Mitchell originally joined the cross country team in freshman year because she simply had a love for competition. She began to place well in races, and her competitiveness drove her to continue running throughout my sophomore year. However, Mitchell soon found the intensity of Junior Year interfering with her passion. “I began to lose focus on racing, and I came close to quitting many times.” She said that what kept her on the team was a motivation shift: instead of being concerned with the external pressure of winning races, she found some internal motivation in staying healthy and making the most out of her experience on the team during such a stressful time.

Since Mitchell joined the team as a freshman there has been a great amount of change. Mitchell explained, “The biggest adjustments have definitely come from all of the different coaching styles the team has experienced. I have been trained by over 10 different coaches at Masters since my freshman year. The changes in attitude and style can be extremely hard to adjust to.” She also pointed out that the team recently lost Coach Million Wolde, an Olympic gold medalist, who worked at Masters for two years.

Mitchell has clearly seen a lot variation during her time on the Team but one thing that hasn’t changed has been her presence. While there is no doubt Mitchell will be missed, she feels confident in leaving the team to underclassman with loads of potential. “I am hopeful about the future of the team. The juniors are a very strong and committed group of runners. Additionally, we had one of the strongest seasons in cross country this year that we have had in a while, due to the amazing new coaching staff. I hope that this fall the team can pick up where it left off, and carry us out of the rut that we seem to be in now.”

In the meantime, we should embrace Mitchell in her final months as a Masters athlete, and honor her legacy once she has crossed the finish line.