Lauren Soobrian, a Duke-bound senior and two-time Central Coast Section cross country champion and all-state competitor, along with sophomore sister Emily Soobrian join DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss their preparation for the California Division 2 state final Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno. It will mark the first time the sisters have competed at the state meet together and the third time overall for Lauren, including her first opportunity to compete in a new division following her first two appearances in Division 1. Los Altos captured its first Central Coast Section team title Nov. 12 with a 46-52 victory against Palo Alto at the Crystal Springs course in Belmont, with Lauren winning the individual crown by covering the 2.95-mile layout in 17:29.0 and Emily earning eighth in 18:19.4. Lauren also secured the Division 1 section title in 2019 on her way to placing fourth at the state final. The sisters revisit being moved to Division 2 after Los Altos placed sixth at the Division 1 state championship meet last season and also speak about Newbury Park being moved as well and becoming its primary challenger toward capturing a team title. They reflect on Los Altos winning the girls championship race Oct. 8 at the 43rd ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park by a 93-122 margin against Division 4 title favorite JSerra, with Newbury Park taking third at 123 points. The siblings speak about qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals being among their goals and how that potential became more realistic following the victory at Clovis. Lauren examines how instrumental the improvement of Emily, along with Jasleen Sidhu, Fiona Bodkin, Maddy Randall, Emma Beedon, Samantha Patel and Lydia Anderson has been in helping Los Altos also win at the Lowell Invitational and Nike De La Salle Invitational, as well as becoming the fastest Central Coast Section girls team ever to compete at Woodward Park by clocking 92:10.0 to eclipse the 2015 record of 92:26.4 by Aptos. Emily shares how significant a role coach Steph MacKenzie has played in the Eagles' success, and how important her guidance and support has been for the program. Lauren explains her decision to attend Duke and how the similarities in the academic opportunities, along with the culture and tradition of the cross country program, were meaningful factors in her selection. Emily also expresses gratitude for being able to compete with her sister at Lauren's final state cross country meet and their motivation to help Los Altos achieve its first podium finish.