SACRAMENTO, Calif. – For four years of workouts, hills, mile repeats, hugs, laughter and tears, the duo of Peyton Bilo and Miranda Myers have been the heart and soul of a St. Francis cross country team that has been among the best in the state. They will toe the line Saturday for the final time together in a quest for a memorable ending to their four-year varsity cross country careers.

“We are going to try to run personal bests and have fun out there,” said Bilo. “We are shooting for Top 10 overall. We will see what happens.”

St. Francis enters the meet ranked eighth in the state in Division I according to prepcaltrack.com. The Troubadours are making a fourth consecutive team appearance after finishing among the Top 10 in each of the last three seasons, a feat accomplished by just three other schools (Great Oak, San Clemente and Vista Murrieta).

“We have overcome a lot but we got through it,” said Myers. “We are really excited to be there as a team and to have come this far.”

The tandem arrived as freshmen to make an early mark with the varsity unit. They helped the Troubies to a fourth-place finish as Myers finished first on the team and 13th overall (18:37), while Bilo was 53rd (19:23) as the fifth finisher. As a sophomores, Bilo was 20th (18:31) with Myers close behind in 26th (18:49). The team finished second overall and earned a berth to the prestigious Nike Nationals.

Running together became their specialty. Competitors at first, they became best friends who pushed each other every day.

“When your best friend is also your competitor, you are bound to have tough workouts,” said Bilo.

They made each other better on and off the course.

“Having her throughout my four years, I could not have asked for a better training partner,” said Myers. “She has been there through thick and thin. Even though sometimes we get really competitive with each other, it helps us in the long run.”

They have one last race together and the spring track season to look forward to but reality is on their minds.

“My fellow team trouble member, I cannot manage going to college next year and not seeing her at practice” said Bilo. “It is going to be weird. I could not ask for a better teammate and a better best friend.”

Head Coach John DuCray says they were like twins when they first showed up in 2011. He has watched them grow as runners while their friendship blossomed. They imparted their personalities on the program from the beginning, something DuCray will miss.

“They have been a fun pair to have around,” said Head Coach John DuCray. “What made them different is they are just a hoot.  They are funny and we bonded right away. They are serious runners but bring a good sense of humor and smiles to practice.”

The smiles were tested in 2013 as Bilo struggled through injuries before returning to run at the end of the season.

“It is very exciting for me,” said Bilo about the meet this season. “I am really blessed that I had a healthy season and I am able to run at state. I have not run a PR since the state meet my sophomore year. I am really hoping to end my season on a good note.”

The Troubadours finished ninth in 2013 to record a third straight Top 10 finish. Myers crossed the line in 11th overall behind senior Lauren LaRocco with a time of 17:52 with Bilo rebounding from her tough season to finish 94th as the fifth scorer for the team.

They enter the state championships in Fresno with a combined six races of experience on the Woodward Park course. It will be valuable for a lineup that includes two freshmen.

“It is really nice to have the experience of running the course for four years,” said Myers of the course knowledge. “We have explained it to them and shown them videos. It is a fast course.”

Freshmen Ava Nkadi and Sydney Vandegrift join juniors Ariane Arndt, Gabrielle Dyer and Chase Worthen in Saturday’s race.

“The freshmen are amazing,” said Bilo. “I am so proud of them. They have been really solid all year. Since the beginning of the season, (we hoped) maybe we could get a freshman to step up and be on varsity. We have two great freshmen and our Frosh/Soph team was very successful as well. It is really good to see a young, fresh, new perspective on the courses, races and workouts.”

Just like four years ago when Myers and Bilo were aided by upperclassman, they have helped show their younger teammates the ropes while also learning from them as well.

“For me and Peyton, the freshmen help us relax and realize we need to have fun and have a good team experience,” said Myers, who will run at Northern Arizona next year.

The St. Francis team has experienced a lot thanks to them.

Follow the results on Twitter @RTSPT and the St. Francis social media accounts.