The boys cross country team surpassed their expectations and won the CIF Division I Championship, Nov. 11. Adrian Welton (12) led the team to victory at Morley Field with a PR of 15:21, finishing in second place overall. He was closely followed by Kaeden Berner (12), who took 11th place in 15:45, and Rowan Hannaman (11), who took 14th in 16:01. Hannaman said that after the exhaustion of running, the triumphant news of the team’s win brought elation to the group.

“I was incredibly tired but very happy after the race as I found out we had done a major upset over Torrey Pines to not only qualify for states but win CIFs as a whole,” Hannaman said.

First, they had to conquer Morley Field: 2.96 grueling miles of uneven terrain, filled with competitors from other schools in the region. The boys had high hopes for the race, nerves thrumming with anxiety and adrenaline. But their previously unbeatable rival, Torrey Pines, stood in their way. However, because of their training throughout the season, they knew their capabilities and were still looking to score as high as possible.

“The team had big goals going into the race,” Hannaman said. “We did not expect to win, as Torrey Pines was untouchable all season, but we knew that if we truly did well they were within reach.” 

In order to place first, the team had to face the challenges that the course brought. According to Hannaman, Morley Field is notorious for a hill that begins after the first mile, which forces the runners to slow their pace before it or risk running out of energy. However, Hannaman said he and Kaeden Berner (12) had a strategy to overcome this obstacle.

“I ran with Kaeden fairly conservatively until the steep downhill after the hill, which we used to significantly pick up the pace and move up in the race,” Hannaman said. “This was a planned part of our race that ended up marking a major turning point as we passed upwards of 30 people in the mile following the hill.”

With this pacing, Hannaman ran the course in  just over five minutes per mile. However, Hannaman said he wasn’t concerned about his personal time, even though he beat his time from last year by over 20 seconds. 

“I cared much less about time in this race in favor of place relative to the other teams,” Hannaman said. “As a team we had the best collective race of the season. Everybody exceeded what they needed to do, which led to our team’s CIF title.”

While the boys team took the crown for their division, the girls scored an impressive sixth place, led by Kaitlyn Arciaga (11) and her third place finish with a PR of 18:03. Irene Penev (12) said that she was anticipating a place near the top for the girls team before the race even began.

“Last year we got 19th at this race,” Penev said. “So I think it’s really special that we [scored] a lot higher this year.”

It was Penev’s last race for the cross country team, adding a touch of melancholy behind the excitement. 

“It [was] a little bittersweet, but mostly [I was] excited,” Penev said. “I’m definitely at the peak of my fitness, [so I was] thrilled to see what our team could do and to race one more time with the girls.”

Even though the race ended, the bond between the teammates remained. Sofia Welton (11) said that immediately after the race, the group went to share lunch and ice cream together.

“We were super stoked to get sixth place, [so] we decided to go out,” Welton said. “It was a lot of fun, and I just really enjoy hanging out with my teammates and being with them.”

According to Penev, the team focused on a different training strategy this season, which allowed them to push harder on their runs and achieve their placements.

“We’ve definitely been prioritizing recovery throughout the season,” Penev said. “[We take] our long runs really hard and then take the next day to relax, recover, and just keep moving in a way that prioritizes our legs rejuvenating and also mentally feeling better.” 

This season’s earlier start, on Aug. 7, allowed the team to utilize their strategy for longer and build up their stamina.

“Usually we don’t start racing until late August, but the season we started in early August and we’ve had a race pretty much every week,” Penev said. “We’ve [also] raced a lot of big races this season that are far away, like in LA, and often at night or with a lot of competition.”

In addition to beginning their training earlier, Penev said the team has kept their mileage for later in the season, as opposed to slowing down like they have done in the past.

“At the end of the season, we usually taper and reduce our mileage but keep the same intensity,” Penev said. “But this year, we started our taper really late, and I think our coach’s hope for us was to peak at the CIF race and make sure that we have our best performance there rather than at league finals or an earlier race.”

With this intense schedule, the runners have motivated each other to keep going and doing their best throughout the whole season, according to Penev.

“We did get some new members and freshmen who have really been pushing the whole team forward, which is really fun,” Penev said. “It’s just been a great season with a lot of good memories and new experiences.”