The cross country team competed in the PAL Championship at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course on Saturday afternoon. The boys team finished in first place, and the girls team took second place. After the race, the team celebrated its graduating seniors with heartfelt speeches, colorful posters, and warm hugs.
“The team ran really well, with a lot of girls on varsity PRing by over a minute. The senior night was so fun, it’s such a great opportunity to celebrate the seniors, many of whom have been on the team since their freshman year,” junior Caroline Pflaum said.
Both the boys and girls teams competed in the 2.95 miles race. The boys roster included junior Declan Leslie and seniors Evan Chopra, Calvin Blanford, Benjamin Salceda, Grant Bennitt, Martin Stoyanov, and Oscar Wettermark.
The Bears dominated the race, with Chopra, Blanford, Salceda, and Bennitt sweeping the top four spots out of 109 runners. Chopra led the team with a first-place finish and a time of 15:43.26, followed closely by Blanford in second place with a time of 15:43.75.
Salceda and Bennitt secured third and fourth place, and Stoyanov secured 15th place, respectively. Overall, the boys accumulated 25 points, comfortably beating second-place Sequoia, which finished with 66 points.
“We had really strong performances across the board and were able to execute our plan well. We took 1st-4th to cap off our undefeated league season and we had a lot of personal records set on Saturday,” Chopra said.
“The senior ceremony was great, and the younger runners did a great job with the posters. I think we all really appreciate the community of the cross country team. I’ll miss being around such a strong team, and I’ll miss our Saturday long runs,” senior Oliver Chi said.
The girls team delivered an outstanding performance as well. The roster included Pflaum, sophomores Julia Piper, Sonya Glebov, and Chloe Lai, junior Alli Brottem, and seniors Laura Maravilla and Caroline Baker.
Pflaum led M-A with a third-place finish in 18:16.70. Maravilla followed, finishing in 19:24.83 and taking 13th. Lai secured 17th with a time of 19:45.70, while Glebov finished close behind in 18th at 19:53.36. Brottem, Piper, and Baker took 20th, 23rd, and 28th, respectively. The Bears totaled 67 points to claim second place, finishing just behind Carlmont.
“I know it was really emotional for a lot of people because we’ve all grown super close as a team, and it’s really sad to see our seniors go,” Pflaum said.
“A lot of us will do track in the spring, but I’ll definitely miss racing next to the guys on the xc courses,” Chopra said.
