By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Having an older brother who was running cross country, Cameron Davis’s parents thought that it would be a good idea for their twin daughters to follow in Nathan’s footsteps.

 “It was around fifth grade when my parents decided that my sister Abigail and I should also run cross country,” Davis said. “And although Abigail no longer runs, I not only found that I enjoyed it, but I felt free and open while running.”

The now Oxford High School sophomore noted that running cross country clicked with her rather easily and gave her a good feeling and allowed her to push herself out on the course.

“Running cross country for the middle school was a welcoming experience without much stress,” she said. “As a beginner it was an eye opener showing me what I could become.”

Upon entering high school Davis found herself still playing soccer and had to decide what she wanted to do during the fall season. The decision wasn’t all that tough, Davis knew that she loved running and it was an easy decision for her; cross country would trump soccer.

Getting ready to take part in her first high school cross-country race she found herself very nervous and not knowing how things were going to turn out.

“What if I couldn’t compete with the older girls,” she thought. “That first race I found myself more excited than nervous and I believe that I finished third and by placing that high against two bigger schools gave me the confidence that I had made the right decision.”

By finishing in the top tier of girls, the first-time runner realized that she could compete with the other girls and that she had the ability to push herself even harder to be a better runner. When she lines up to begin a race, she gets into the mindset that she is going to give her best effort and try to catch the girls in front of her on the course.

“She began running for us as an eighth grader. She ran the 5K with a time a little over 20 minutes,” Oxford coach Tim Craig said. “She has improved a lot since that first year and as a freshman had a time under 19 minutes with her best time being 18:20. She also finished third in the State Division 3 Cross-Country Race that year.”

Craig went on to say that Davis put forth a huge commitment prior to this year getting underway. The sophomore wanted a special training program, something day to day that was based on her strength and allowed her to improve her endurance. When the season got underway, Craig could see that she was more than ready to take on the year.

Davis would go onto win the Twilight Invitational in Falmouth with a time of 17:53, her best time to date and one that could have been much better if not for the cart on the course slowing her down.

“On the last lap while approaching the barn I ran into the cart, which stopped me in my tracks. Once you stop it’s hard to get going again,” she said. “It was disappointing, but not frustrating. It just showed me to pay more attention and allowed me to realize that I could go faster.”

Coming into this season Davis wanted to get her time under 18 minutes, which she has already accomplished and in addition to getting back to the State Tournament, a place she has already been twice. As an eighth grader she finished in 7th place and last year she crossed the line third. 

“I know that if I am to become better I need to get off to a quicker start and not slow down during the second mile. I need to stay consistent,” Davis said. “If I can get off to that fast start, I don’t want to slow down and allow the other girls to stay on my back. I want to push the pace.”

According to her coach, he doesn’t set goals for his runners, he allows them to set the bar to their desired height.

“She loves running and that is her true activity,” Criag said. “I can only give her advice on how to succeed, but she is one that is willing to put in the work to get better.”

Davis also runs the mile and 2-mile for the outdoor track team and would love to continue running once she leaves high school, but that is still 2 ½ years away. 

“It’s still too early for me to think about college,” she said. “Next year I’ll start reaching out to coaches of schools that fit my agenda. Academics would come first, but if there is a possibility to also run that would be great.’