AGS Royal, Sophie Pegnia ’21, stepped on the grassy terrain one final time this past Saturday. Pegnia has been running cross country at AGS since 6th grade and on the varsity team since 8th grade. At first, she had no interest in running, but her mom encouraged her to try it out. She quickly found a love and strong passion for the sport. One of her fondest memories from the season was the bus rides with her teammates to their runs at the Chattahoochee River. Through all the fun Pegnia had, there were also challenges. She spoke about days where she was just not in the mood to run and she had to push those thoughts aside and get over it.

What motivated me most in cross country was knowing that after I finished a run I would feel a sense of accomplishment.

Pegnia advices everyone to try out new things because there is a good chance that something fulfilling will come out of it. “I strongly encourage students and athletes to try out Cross Country because it’s so much fun to be apart of the team and it’s a great way to build new relationships with your peers,” she says.

Sophie Pegnia noted how the feeling that the season is over hasn’t kicked in yet, but she knows when it does she will feel sad that it’s over. She is thankful for the years she has been a part of the team and has found a passion for running.