Cross country has been a talking point during the fall for many years. This season is no different, with the boys’ team ranking No. 23 in the nation, according to MileSplit.com. This year’s team has many returning runners and is led by seniors Alex Corbett and Kevin Monogue.

A few weeks ago, the team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to compete in a race. The boys’ team finished sixth in the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational, which took place on Sept. 20.

“Each year we take a big trip,” head coach Mike Mangan said in an interview with MileSplit.com. “This year we wanted to come to some place new, and this meet looked pretty awesome online. So we figured we’d try and add another state to our list.”

The Louisville race allowed the team to compete against a bigger field of runners and on a brand-new course.

“The meet itself was really cool,” Monogue said. “It was the biggest meet any of us had ever been in with up to 700 kids in some of the races. The competition was crazy, and it was definitely a new and learning experience for most of us.”

With many returning runners, the team has become stronger with leaders emerging.

“This year, we’ve had a lot stronger leadership and depth than our team last year,” sophomore Evan Chase said. “Some of the senior captains this year, especially Kevin Monogue and Alex Corbett, really push us as a team.”

One of the highlights of the season for the Bruins was the Monroe Parker Invitational. The team finished first overall in the second race of the season.

“I’d say [the] highlight of the season so far would be the Bruins taking the victory at the Monroe Parker Invite earlier this month at Burke Lake,” Corbett said. “It is a very competitive meet featuring all the top teams in Northern Virginia.”

LB participated in the first annual DCXC Invite on Sept. 27 in D.C. The race included runners from D.C., North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Corbett set a personal-best in the 5K at 15:17.

“With combined results [traditional scoring] the boys varsity won the meet by a good amount,” Corbett said. “Most of our guys set new personal records.”

With the national rankings comes higher expectations, Chase said.

“There definitely has been a lot higher expectations and pressure on our team,” Chase said. “We take practices more seriously, and our coaches, especially Mr. Switzer, push us to our limits.”

The Patriot Conference championship meet will take place on Oct. 30 and the 6A championship will take place Nov. 5.