By Justin Hsieh, Staff Writer
Yesterday afternoon, the boys’ cross country team continued their strong season at one of the largest and most competitive meets in the nation, the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. With a staggering 25 runners setting personal records (PRs) at the team’s second race of the year, the boys once again gave an auspicious performance for their upcoming season.
The 38th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, attended by over 350 schools from 15 states, was held at the Silverlakes Sports Complex in Norco, California. The three-mile course was extremely flat, dry and fast, and under the bright sun, it was painfully similar to the desert oven that the boys had run in the previous week at the Las Vegas Invitational. Fortunately, however, the races were held progressively later in the afternoon, as the heat began to subside.
The Barons first raced at 3:50 p.m., in the Division 1 Novice race. Six out of the eight runners set PRs while senior Joseph George at 20:51, freshman Jaden Wilno at 21:12 and sophomore Ethan Dang at 21:41 placed in the top 20. Two hours later, all four boys in the freshman race PRed, with Asher Bradshaw leading the pack at an impressive 18:38.
“Woodbridge was an amazing experience,” said freshman Jonathan D’Ambrosio, who came in shortly behind Bradshaw. “it felt really fast, and I’m very excited for how our freshman and sophomore team[s] will continue to improve.”
In the sophomore race at 6:18 p.m., all of the top seven boys set personal records, leading the team to place 6th overall. The Barons were led by Jaden Nguyen, who charged in with an astounding 17:07.
“I’m surprised at how fast I ran as an individual. However, I was more surprised about our sophomore team’s performance,” said Nguyen. “There’s a high chance of us winning at our most important race, Sunset League Finals.”
In the junior race at 6:42 p.m., Ian Ferris ran a 17:59 to led all four runners to set PRs. Halfway through the race, the sun finally sank below the horizon, bathing subsequent races in chilly darkness. In a reversal of fortunes from the Vegas Invitational, at which the varsity team had suffered under the rising sun, the cool night air allowed three of the five varsity boys to PR, for a 12th place team finish led by senior Yuki Watanabe who ran 15:43.
All in all, yesterday was an exciting day for the Baron runners. This early in the season, with the bulk of their speed training yet to come, such spectacular performances are a highly encouraging sign.
“What amazing results,” said Coach Steve Knowles. “The underclassmen may have even outdone the performance of varsity. The future looks very bright, and so does this year.”
