On Saturday, Nov 16, 2019, Canyon’s varsity cross country team raced hard on the Riverside City Cross Country Course. The team gathered there early in the morning and was surprised by the fact of how cold it was. The racers bundled up in the tent and got in all their pre-race routines. Before 

the beginning of the first race, many of the racing alternates, including other teammates who showed up to support, got the opportunity to get a run in on the course beforehand. The course was primarily loose dirt and wood chips. Luckily, a truck spraying water on the course made the loose dirt a little more compact for the racers.

The girls division two race started around 7:55. The strategy for this race was very simplistic. The team went into this race knowing that their position to make it to CIF Finals was secured. They needed to work hard in this race,

but the runners are still saving most of their energy for the next weekend, which is finals. The race went smoothly and many of the girls were able to run together for the majority of the time.

Emma Hadley came sprinting into sixth place with a time of 18:00.0. Most were amazed by the fact that Hadley’s time was exactly 18 minutes, which is rare to get. Soon after, senior, Isabella Rubulcava, and juniors, Sarah Paino and Grace Walker, finished within three seconds apart, acquiring the 26, 27,

and 29 spot. The rest of the team finished in the top 60 racers, out of 186. In the end, Canyon scored second place with a total of 109 points (the lower the better) and had an average three-mile time of 18:40, which is 6:13 pace a mile.

“We came here, we wanted to place and we wanted to just move onto next week. We didn’t want to do anything crazy just yet, so we are saving that for next week.” Hadley says in an interview by Mile-split, talking about the race. 

The boys division two race began at 8:35. The strategy was very different than the girls race, as boys cross country is much more competitive. Due to the

race being much more fast-paced, many of the racers did not have the option of conserving energy. The boys raced with hopes that the team would be able to qualify for CIF Finals, but they also had the opportunity to qualify as an individual.

Connor Albin, came in first for Canyon and placed seventh with a time of 15:26.6, less than 20 seconds from first place. Only 12 seconds later, Senior, Jackson Coney, and Junior, Andrew Lugo, came in one second of each other. This

represents how competitive the boys race is. Although they came in one second of each other, Coney and Lugo were five positions apart, coming in 19-23 place. The rest of the runners came in the top 140 out of 177 runners. Overall, Canyon got sixth place with 182 points. Their average time was 15:54, which is an average pace of 5:18 per mile. 

Both girls and boys cross country are excited to race at CIF Finals on Nov. 23. Wish them luck, Comanches! Hopefully they can make it to the state meets!