Girls Cross Country
For the first time since 2019, Girls Cross Country made CIF finals and individual state, including Jadyn Zdanvange Sophie Guilfoile '25, and the 2022 season was the best Cross Country season in program history.
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Although Cross Country was both physically and mentally enduring, the team had a strong support system from several sources such as the team, coaches, and loved ones.
Learners chose Cross Country for, one of them included being inspired and encouraged by loved ones.
"[I joined cross country] because both of my parents were into running, and they wanted me to try something new," said Ruby "Bea" Ross '26.
Having encouragement from close loved ones was crucial to performing well in the sport, as well as learning valuable lessons from various mentors that could be applied anywhere in life.
"Our coach last year always remind[ed] us to 'put our best foot forward' which really resonated with me even though he was not our coach anymore. I learned that I [had] to work with what circumstances I was given and to treat everyday with the most effort I could give," said Selina Wang '25.
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In addition to the close relationships with the coaches on the team, runners also agreed that being on the team made them closer as friends.
"I loved the team bonding aspect of cross country. [I] felt like you [got] really close with your teammates and everyone was super nice to me. I [felt] like I could easily talk to them in such a short amount of time," said Seongyun "Yunny" Jang '26.
With adrenaline coursing through their veins and sweat dripping down their necks, the varsity girls cross country team sprinted to the finish line to secure a consecutive Pacific Coast League (PCL) runner-up title on Nov. 6. Behind their win, underclassmen claimed four of the five scoring spots, with Audrey Lin '28 and Azra Gereck '28 finishing ninth and 11th overall at league finals.
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"We had a lot of new talent, and these freshman help(ed] sustain the program because they were going to be here for a long period of time. The freshman and sophomores had good [sub-20] times to qualify us for CIF, which also pushed me too," said Lillian "Lily" Campbell '26.
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Among the underclassmen, the frosh girls also won the league championship for the second consecutive year, with runners securing third through eighth place.
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"Our group [were tight knit, and we push|ed through the race as a team. We [ran] with people who [were] similar speed since maintaining pacing [was easier with others. At the two mile mark, Katie [McGlynn '27] and I| were running together and paced] with each other," said Kristi Harig '27.
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For this meet, the league shifted to a dual-league format, reducing playoff qualifications from top four schools to three. The previous eight-school structure split into PCL and Pacific Hills, and runners qualified and placed seventh at CIF on Nov. 15.
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"The race (became less competitive since there (were less school's racing]. It was beneficial for our team (because] it allowed us to qualify for CIF easier (since we would not have qualified in our old league]," said Shriya Viswanathan '27.