By Kaylan Kha

Editor-in-Chief

  The Gabrielino High School Cross Country team will be competing this Tuesday at Legg Lake in South El Monte for their final Mission Valley League race. In order to qualify for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) meets, schools need to be within the four top teams in the league.

“We’ve been running very well,” stated senior Jacob Lam, “and our team scores in the last few meets have projected us to [get to] league finals.”

  The team took on the 70th annual Mount San Antonio College Invitational last Friday. Facing steep hills and rough terrain, the 13 boys and 9 girls who competed encountered several obstacles at this track. With 296 points, the varsity boys came in 11th place.

  “The boys have been having a good season,” said Coach Ryan Kammerman. “They are easily [one of] the best teams in the league. With the [next races], the girls [also] have a chance of making it to [CIF].”

  The Bell Gardens Invitational in Cerritos on Oct. 14 differed from the other meets as the races were separated by grade level. Five runners are needed in order to compete, so the boys were unable to enter as a team in the senior and freshman divisions and the girls in the senior, junior, and freshman divisions.

  With sweat dripping off their foreheads and their legs slowly giving in, the cross country team members raced through thick grass and tree roots at the Central Park Invite at Huntington Beach on Oct. 7. Gabrielino runners were determined and focused, crossing the finish line without any difficulties, unlike three competitors from other schools that fell into the lake. The boys placed fifth out of 18, but the girls were unable to score as a team.

   Runners raced to the finish line at Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas on Oct. 3, where the varsity boys team came in third with a total of 81 points. The varsity girls team scored 109 points and came in fifth, trailing behind Marshall High School by only one point.

  The girls team was confronted with some challenges at the beginning of this season. With only one senior on the team, the underclassmen needed to rise to the occasion.

  “It’s been lonely,” said senior Julia Cho, “but everyone has really given their all to the team. I’ve gotten to concentrate more on improving my times and grown closer to others.”

  On Sept. 23, the boys varsity team won first overall at the Billy York Invitational at the Riverside City Cross Country course with seniors Jacob Lam and Stepfan Ng in fourth and fifth place, respectively, and junior Skylar Hudson in ninth place. The girls were unable to place as a team, but junior Cassidy Liu came in fifth place.