The University High School Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams are both off to fast starts after great performances in their second meet of the season. The 44th annual Woodbridge Classic took place on Sept. 19-20 at Great Park, hosting over 400 schools from across the country. The Trojans performed relatively well in their largest meet of the season, even after losing many seniors.
On the boys’ side, senior Ameen Gish placed 72nd in the varsity group, the highest finish among the team. The other boys’ varsity team members, including sophomore Giuseppe Paxia, the youngest of the group, placed near each other in the top 200 range.
“The overall team performance was pretty decent,” Paxia said. “We got 27 out of 35. We didn’t get last, and that was the goal.”
Several runners recorded personal bests, showing the team’s growth since their opener race. With many young runners taking on bigger roles, and upperclassmen steadily building their speed, the Trojans are working to stay competitive in league races despite losing many of last year’s top seniors.
“[The] Varsity squad did well, a lot of people improved their times,” Boys’ Varsity Captain Nicholas Chernyshoff said. “I’m happy and disappointed with my time, but I feel like, in the future, progression will be made for all of us.”
On the girls’ side, UHS had a very strong varsity showing. Junior Lara Blanco led the way with an impressive sixth-place finish in their varsity race, while two other runners placed in the top 100. The consistency and depth of the University girls’ team has stood out against many other cross-country teams, hinting at their potential for success as the season progresses.
The team has already set clear goals for the rest of the season. With Pacific Coast League competition approaching, UHS hopes to finish strong against local rivals and push for a CIF qualification.
“We want to beat Northwood and place behind Woodbridge in the leagues,” Chernyshoff said. “Hopefully, we can somehow squeeze in CIF, but to do that, we need to focus on the next cross-country meets.”
The Trojans are looking to carry this momentum into their next meets. The next cross-country meet for UHS is Oct. 11, at the Clovis International Meet.
