Courtesy John Hale
The girls team during the race.

Cross Country Team Dominates at PAL Finals

The boys and girls cross country teams crushed the competition at the Crystal Springs PAL Finals on Saturday, placing first and third respectively and qualifying for CCS championships.   

The boys team won by a staggering 21 points, with junior Cason Mitchell coming in first in the 2.95 mile race with a time of 15:51. Senior Thomas Bernadicou finished third with a time of 16:01, scoring M-A two spots on the podium. This continues a long winning streak for the team, known for course records and consistent first places. Junior Dane Hansen finished close behind in seventh.

“With the times that we put up, this is the third fastest M-A team time in school history, which is pretty insane considering that M-A has been running this course since the ‘70s. Winning league was a big goal of ours this year as it meant completing a three-peat of league wins over the last few years. We are looking great as a team and we are excited to see how we can do next weekend at CCS,” Mitchell said.

Courtesy John Hale The boys team with their championship plaque.

On the girls side, the team came in close behind Calmont and Mills, with freshman Caroline Pflaum finishing eighth out of 98 runners. This is just the beginning for both teams, who will compete at CCS on Saturday, Nov. 16. 

“Crystal Springs is a tough course, but we competed well as a team. It’s always exciting to qualify for CCS, and we’re looking forward to racing again on Saturday,” Pflaum said.

“I think we went out knowing what had to be done to continue forward as a team, and we accomplished that on the course. Ultimately it comes down to bringing our strengths to work together as a team,” freshman Harper Krefetz said.

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