By OLIVER CORPUS
Staff Writer
Overall, the University Cross Country boys team placed #148 out of 288 teams, and the girls team placed #149 out of 288 at the Woodbridge Invitational in Norco on Friday September 15. The race was organized by grade level, which allowed the Senior Boys to place 3rd in their division, a feat that has only been accomplished one other time in the past decade. There was no race for the senior girls as they were grouped in the junior race, but the Frosh girls finished second in their division out of 17 teams. The sophomore boys also did well, placing 3rd out of 29 teams, and the frosh boys placed 9th in their division out of 34 teams. “[I’m] happy about the results because all of our hard work paid off,” Varsity Boys Captain Christian Go (Sr.) said.
Boys Seniors managed to place in the top 10 for the senior race, achieving 3rd, a monumental feat for University Cross Country. The task was spearheaded by 3 varsity runners; Go with a time of 16:21 Amir Guity (Sr.) with a time of 16:28, and Ryan Liang (Sr.) with a time of 16:30. They respectively finished in 8th, 12th, and 14th place. “[The results came from] working hard all summer and reflected the amount of effort we had put in.” Guity said.
Although Varsity runners placed highly, newer members commented on the difficulty of the course because it took place in the evening with many sharp twists and turns. “The opening was very rough, and I got boxed in at the start.” Said Reese Carlton (So.) who only joined Cross Country last season and experienced this course for the first time. Despite the challenges, Carlton placed well with a time of 17:03 along with Ryan Duffy (So.) who achieved a personal record with a time of 16:23.
Girls Varsity runner Collette Lowengrub (Fr.) placed first again at her second ever race with a time of 19:08, which is almost a minute faster than her previous time. “[The race was] way easier than last time,” Lowengrub said. “[I] saw two girls in front of me so I felt motivated to catch up.” Other notable runners included Avery Kluake (So.) who ended her race with a time of 18:49, a new personal record. “[I’m] excited for this year because of the potential for the team, especially from the girls.” Tracy Bebout (Social Science Dept.), the newest Cross Country coach said.
Boys also did well at the junior varsity level, most noticeably the sophomores who placed 3rd in their division. Top runners include Raja Batra (So.) who had a time of 16:37 and Duffy. “The whole team put in good times which allowed us to win.” Batra said.
The Junior boys finished 9th out of 32 teams. One of the top Junior runners, Chris Lohmeyer(Jr.) achieved a personal record on this course with a time of 17:16. “I didn’t expect myself to get a personal record because my last PR was over a minute slower.” Lohmeyer said,
At the JV level, the frosh girls finished 2nd place in their division out of 17 teams, helped massively by Lowengrub’s score of first place in the race. Junior girls also placed 21 out of 34 teams, which could be attributed to some of the key runners being injured like Amber Sun (Jr.). Sun appreciated her teammate’s efforts and said that “Cross Country is not just a sport, it’s a family that bonds over the pain of running.”
