By Heather Carr
Rolling hills? Check. A competitive field with high-ranking teams? Check. One of California’s largest cross-country invitationals? Check.
The Barons faced all of the following at the esteemed Clovis Invitational last Saturday in Fresno, where they battled rival schools from across the state, including Edison, Simi Valley, and Arcadia.
Although the boys placed ninth in Sweepstakes, the varsity team’s performance proved disappointing, according to Galyn Nash (15). “[Our race was] not so good; we didn’t work together as a unit,” he said. “We just faltered a bit.”
Despite dissatisfaction with their scores, the boys have had the experience of running the state meet course, which should prove to be beneficial in the future.
“I think this learning experience will definitely make us prepare for hills a little better,” said Alan Loi (14). “The course was actually the state meet course, so if we do make it to state, we’ll already know what the state course is like. It’s definitely a good experience to know the course and having run it one time.”
The girls cross country team did well with a varsity team time of 97 minutes and placing sixteenth overall in sweepstakes.
“The team packed really well and we stuck together in the race,” stated Valerie Stark (’14). “I’m really excited for the next few races.”
Top performances came from Amber Bragdon (’14) with a time of 18:45, Amanda Stark (’14) who ran a time of 19:19, and Mariana Chavez (’16) who ran 19:24.
“The team did very well, and we’re looking forward to going to state,” Chavez said.
The Barons will race at Irvine Regional Park next Saturday, where they will compete with Edison, Marina, and Los Alamitos in the Orange County Championships.
