By: Jeremy H. (’17)

The Crystal Springs Upper School Cross Country Team continues to add to its impressive list of victories during its 2016 season. With talented runners from all grades, both boys and girls teams place extremely high in league, beating other competitive, larger schools in the WBAL (West Bay Athletic League). October 6th marked the first league meet for CSUS, taking place at San Bruno Mountain. To start the day, Kyle C. (‘17), Darius D.(‘19), and Partha R. (‘18) swept the first three spots in the boys JV race, leading CSUS to an easy victory. On the girls’ side, Marlena B. (‘20), Gabrielle L. (‘18), and Molly S. (‘18) ran very competitive first league races––they are without a doubt athletes to watch in the future. The boys varsity, meanwhile, took home not only a first place finish but a school record for the fastest team time, clocking an average of 15:41 per person for the hilly, challenging 2.8 mile course. To end the day, the girls varsity, led by Ella R. (‘19) and EV N. (‘17), placed fourth despite facing a challenging field. And even after such a successful day, the CSUS cross country team got right back to work.

Photo taken by Dawn Harmer

Following two weeks of early morning workouts and hard training in the cold rain, the team traveled to Baylands Park in Sunnyvale for its second WBAL meet on October 20. It was an exciting day for every runner with innumerable personal records. Some highlights include the JV boys’ second place finish and the varsity girls fighting their way to a respectable third place; the varsity boys, led by Nicholas M. (‘18), Brandon C. (‘17), and Aiden D. (‘19), took home another victory despite not fielding a full varsity. Coach Albert Caruana was ecstatic to witness such a consistent performance across the team.

The first two league meets were great efforts by all the runners––with league finals right around the corner, the team seeks to continue its successful 2016 campaign. The meet will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting of the season, as both boys teams are in positions to win league––beating the likes of Sacred Heart, Menlo, and TKA––and the girls varsity looks to garner a top three finish. That being said, we are excited to see what the team will bring to the race; even if you can’t attend, the athletes will be very appreciative of any support they can receive. Come support CSUS XC on Friday, November 4th at Hallmark Park in Belmont for WBAL Finals!

Watch the XC Promo Video Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGzacyycGd4&feature=youtu.be