On Saturday, both the boys and girls cross-country teams achieved outstanding success at the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Championship. M-A secured the victory with a score of 50 points, over 35 fewer than the runner up, Carlmont.
Senior Tatum Olesen took first place for the girls, followed by fellow seniors Annie Pflaum in third, Sofia Melani in 13th, and Cleo Rehkopf* in 15th. For the boys, senior Aidan Doherty took first place, followed closely by senior Timothy Rousseau, sophomore Cason Mitchell, and sophomore Aidan Sharpe, who took 4th, 8th, and 13th place respectively.
The boys frosh-soph team also took part in the victories. The team took first with 28 points thanks to sophomores Brady Phan and Zachary Jones who took 1st and 2nd place.
The team’s exceptional performances at the PAL finals meant that they took both the league title and also advanced to compete at the Central Coast Section (CCS) Championships. Last year M-A cross-country dominated CCS, with girls taking 1st place and the boys coming in at 3rd.
Senior Aidan Doherty said, “At CCS we have to get top two to move on to state. As a team we all know our individual roles to maximize the performance and that is the sole focus.” He added, “This week leading up to CCS we will be focusing on staying 100% healthy, getting in final tune ups, and perfecting the race plans.”
For the seniors, this was their last ever PAL cross country race. Senior Rowan Pescon said, “My favorite part of cross-country is the amazing community that I’ve been able to be a part of over the last few years. I’ve also gotten to know so many different athletes from around the league who are all such amazing people and friends.”
The teams will compete at the CCS Championships this Saturday.
*Rehkopf also writes for the M-A Chronicle
