Staff photo / John Vargo Mineral Ridge’s Sylvia Traw finished first during the Sept. 5 Billy Goat Challege at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds in the small schools girls race.

BAZETTA — Sylvia Traw had on her white wraparound sunglasses, giving the Mineral Ridge High School runner and aerodynamic look on a Trumbull County Fairgrounds course built for speed.

The look might be stylish, but not always what it appears to be.

“I got these because I have tension headaches and I’m squinting,” she said. “It would make my head hurt really bad. It’s so much nicer, honestly. This year, it’s my signature look when I have them on. They’re really helpful and great.”

She and her teammates helped themselves to a team championship at the Billy Goat Challenge.

The Rams had the faith they could do well in this early September meet.

“It was hard because we all have a lot of miles on our legs,” Traw said, who won the small school girls race. “We weren’t really feeling great this week. We came out, had a positive attitude. Most of our girls are going to run for God’s glory and have fun. That’s what we did. We pray for each other on the course. That helped us come together (Sept. 5) and be able to deliver the races that we did.”

The Rams, which made the Division III state cross country meet in 2018, have a strong start in 2020.

“It’s really exciting considering we didn’t think we’d have a season for a while,” Traw said. “The possibilities of the season seem so endless with my teammates. We should do some great things.”

She and her teammates are much smarter runners than a couple of years ago.

Traw said listens to her body more, more than she did when she had a foot injury as an eighth grader.

“I would push through the pain instead of listening,” Traw said. “I think I’m more mature, along with the my teammates I’ve grown up with in that aspect. Race strategy. This helps me build that positive attitude. I was never an overly-positive person. I come to practice and I’m happy to be there. I’m more positive about my day after I run.”