Just as the weather is starting to cool down, the cross country season is heating up.
    Always in the hunt for a region title, Bulloch Academy’s girls squad is turning in another quality season thanks in large part to contributions of runners like Heather Jacobs.
    “We’ve done pretty well so far,” said Jacobs. “We’ve come in third and fourth in a lot of our meets, so we’re hoping to improve on that. We finished second in the region last season, se we definitely want to take that next step.”
    Although she is just a sophomore, Jacobs has consistently been near the top of the list of Lady Gator runners. Combined with teammate Ashley Burke, Bulloch has a pair of runners that can contend with the front of the pack in every meet.
    Getting as many runners out in front will help the team, but cross country running is still a sport that is very much individual. When battling the different courses, Jacobs is hoping for overall success for the team, but knows that she can best contribute to that by turning in her best efforts each time out.
    “I’ve been running a lot of times in the (24-minute range),” said Jacobs. “I want to get down around 22 minutes. It’s a lot of hard work, especially at practice, but I know that we can all get better.”