On Saturday, the Bears cross country teams traveled to Half Moon Bay High School for the Artichoke Invitational. Competing in the Division 1 category, M-A came out victorious, taking first place overall in both boys and girls races.
This was the Bears’ second time on the 2.4 mile course, which is equipped with multiple hay bales sitting on the trail and the steepest hill among all the courses that M-A runs. Since there were only eight teams in total, the girls Varsity, JV, and Frosh-soph teams raced together. Senior Tatum Olesen took first place in just 14:00 minutes, followed by senior Annie Pflaum in second. Senior Cleo Rehkopf was not far behind, coming in at sixth place. “All the girls running together really brought the energy up,” said Olesen. “Everyone was so positive and supportive which ultimately brought us a win.”
The boys race began at 2:15, which included the Varsity and JV teams. Senior Aidan Doherty comfortably placed first with a time of 12:09, and three other Bears placed in the top ten: sophomore Cason Mitchell took third place, while senior Timothy Rousseau and junior Lucas Selvik in 8th and 10th place respectively.
This successful race spurred excitement and motivation for the rest of the season for the Bears’ cross country teams. “A good race always helps us come back to practice determined to work hard,” said junior Claire Gong. “Artichoke has put us on a good track, and we will continue to do well in the next meets.” M-A’s Varsity, JV, and Frosh-Soph cross country teams will continue to bring this positive energy for their next meets, beginning with PAL #2 at Crystal Springs High School.
