For the last three years one of the main goals of the Royal High girls' cross country team was to beat league champion Thousand Oaks High in a race. Last season the Highlanders finally did, and now it's the rest of the Marmonte League that is trying to catch up with them.

Royal ended a three-year drought last season when it won the Marmonte League championship for the first time since 2003. With many key returnees back for RHS this season, the Highlanders will now begin the process of trying to repeat.

"Last season we were so dedicated to beating Thousand Oaks since we had never beaten them before and they were considered the best team in the league," senior Melissa Bunn said. "When we finally beat them it was one of the best feelings I've experienced running for this team."

Senior Paige Neuman agreed with her teammate but added that doing it again won't be easy.

"When we beat Thousand Oaks last year we celebrated like we had never done in the past," Neuman said. "We had T-shirts made and threw a big party, but if we want to do that again this year we are going to have to put in a lot of effort. I think if we put our minds to it and give it everything we have, it will happen."

Head coach Jay Sramek said he thinks this year the race for the league championship will be tighter than ever.

"It's hard to tell where we fit in right now," Sramek said. "Of course I think we will be one of the main competitors for winning league, but it's too early to tell just how good this team is. In the past I've had some teams I thought would be great, and we only finished in second or third. Then again I've had some teams I didn't expect as much from, and they ran away with league titles."

Sramek begins his seventh year as the head coach for Royal this season, and already he has quite a resume. With Sramek in charge, the Highlanders have won league titles in 2001, 2003 and 2006, and the team has also made it to the state championships six of his seven years. Last year may have been Sramek's finest season coaching as the varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams all won league titles and went undefeated.

"Right now the program is in good shape," Sramek said. "That comes from the right kids being here with the willingness to show up every day and set the bar high for themselves. The attitudes of the teams I have had are always very consistent."

This season, Royal returns fouryear starters: Neuman and Bunn to go along with seniors Nicole McCormick and Sierra Yoakum. Junior Katie O'Connel returns, as does junior Taylor Mogg. Mogg spent last year on the junior varsity team after making the varsity team as a freshman.

"My biggest satisfaction this offseason was the goal of Taylor Mogg's coming true," Sramek said. "I challenged her at the end of last season by telling her she shouldn't let her only varsity races come her first season. She really took that to heart and had her best summer of running since she has been here. I expect big things from her this season."

Rounding out the rest of the team is sophomore Erin Fox and two newcomers, freshmen Kelly Upson and Hannah Safford. With Neuman and Bunn having experience of running on the varsity team in their first year, the two seniors have tried to take Upson and Safford under their wings.

"They have a lot of potential, but it's hard to tell just how good they will be after just one race this season," Neuman said. "So far they have done very well in practices and races. Once we have more team meetings and races they will get even better."

While Neuman and Bunn are looking out for the freshmen, Sramek is trying to do a better job of looking out for his team in '07.

According to the coach, the team seemed burnt out at the end of last season.

"I think we peaked a little too early last year, and I always want my teams to peak during the last race," Sramek said. "At one point it seemed to be very hard to practice because we were traveling so much. Back-to-back weeks running in Clovis and Stanford comes to mind.

"This season I bumped up the practices to start a week later, and I've omitted some of the races we usually compete in. I want to keep this team mentally sharp and physically strong all year long."

Sramek added that he would like to get the team back to the state meet this year for the fourth time in a row, something he hasn't done yet. Bunn said that fact is something the seniors have on their mind as well.

"We really want to go back to the state meet again this season, but we want to do better once we are there," Bunn said. "There is a big tradition of having good cross country teams at Royal, and I think that tradition helps us work harder. We have a good team this season with a lot of depth, and by the end of the season I believe our whole team will be running at under 20 minutes in our races."