Cross country and track and field have always gone hand in hand for distance runners. Although each season brings different distances and challenges, the work in one can help build success in the other. For many athletes, cross country is more than just a fall sport it is an opportunity to build endurance, compete, and become a stronger runner before returning to the track.
For Moon senior Sonya Taylor, that opportunity has also meant learning an entirely new event. In her first cross country season, Taylor is figuring out how to race a 5K each time she steps on the course. Finding the right pace, adjusting to different courses, and staying mentally engaged when a race gets difficult are all part of the process.
Taylor entered the 2026 season having never competed in cross country. After previously playing soccer, she decided to give the sport a chance and see what it could add to her development as a distance runner.
“I did soccer in the past, but I decided that this year, with college and everything, I wanted to get a head start,” Taylor said. “I also heard that cross country can help make your track times a lot faster because of your base, so I really wanted to try it.”
Taylor knew the transition to cross country would be challenging, but it did not take long for her to start seeing progress. She opened her season with a 21:10 at the Gateway Invitational. About a week later, Taylor lined up at the Red, White & Blue Classic at White Oak Park and finished in 19:25, cutting nearly two minutes off her time in just her second race. Taylor knows the faster course played a role in the improvement, but she also started learning something important about herself as a runner when to listen to her body.
“I feel like the week before Gateway, we did a lot of workouts, and my body felt really overrun,” Taylor said. “The next week, I tried to focus on how I felt and listen to my body more, and I ended up running a lot faster.”
Red, White & Blue became more than just a breakthrough on the clock. It was also the first time Taylor truly felt like a cross country runner. Running 19:25 and competing alongside several of the WPIAL’s top runners gave Taylor confidence that she belonged in a sport that was still new to her.
As the season continued, Taylor also learned that every 5K course is different. A personal best might not come every time she races, and learning to judge a performance by more than the clock has become another part of her first season.
A few weeks later, Taylor reached another milestone by winning the Blue Devil Invitational in Sharon, Pennsylvania, with a time of 19:59. The race gave Taylor an opportunity to compete against a new group of runners from the northern part of Pennsylvania while adding another experience to her first cross country season.
“It felt really rewarding to know that I was running alone and was the fastest finisher,” Taylor said. “I definitely ran for place rather than time, though, so I was a little disappointed.”
With the WPIAL Championships three weeks away, Taylor will enter her first postseason with her sights set on qualifying for the PIAA Championships. It was not a goal when the season started, but after finding success and gaining a better understanding of how to race the 5K, something that once seemed out of reach is now on her radar.
“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t really think the PIAA Championships were an attainable goal,” Taylor said. “But now I kind of have my sights set on it. I don’t know if it’ll happen, but I really want it.”
What started as Taylor simply giving cross country a chance has turned into an opportunity to see just how far her first season can take her. A track and field runner at heart, Taylor has learned that the work she puts in on the track can carry over to the cross country course and the lessons she has learned this fall can make her an even better runner when she returns to the track in 2027.
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