Alexander English

Sam Holbrook, a junior, races at the third PAL meet of the season.

Another year, another exceptional season for Carlmont High School cross country.

Carlmont High School cross country was in for a great season, and it was noticeable even during the first few meets.

“Our cross country team is off to an incredible start. They have placed very high at the first two invitationals and this week at the first league meet they swept all of the divisions,” said Pat Smith, Carlmont High School Athletic Director.

Carlmont’s hustle did not stop there.  The boys’ varsity team placed second in the Ram Invitational on Sept. 30 making their start of the season one to remember.  Throughout the remainder of the season the varsity teams had many first place performances such as their third Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) meet on Oct. 24 where the boys’ varsity team, missing one runner, and the girls’  varsity team, in full fitness, easily beat out every other team.

In the PAL Championship on Nov. 4, Carlmont varsity had one of their best races of the season coming in first with 22 team points.  This dominant meet demonstrates the ability of the strong runners Carlmont has and will continue to receive throughout the upcoming years.

The success Carlmont cross country has had this year has been unparalleled in recent years bringing the organization to be a greater threat to other teams in the surrounding areas.

“Our cross country team has been so strong this year, and it’s all due to the runner’s dedication,” said Mylène Vachon, a sophomore.  “We have runners who do around 60 miles a week, so you can definitely say each individual’s personal drive helps bring our whole team to victory.”

Carlmont cross country has done so well for a variety of reasons including team bonding, allowing runners to run together comfortably during the races.

“My favorite part of the season was the team trip to Fresno,” said Andrew Luna, a senior.  “It was a good bonding experience for the team and definitely helped me solidify friendships with some of my teammates.”

Due to their high performances, both varsity teams were able to qualify for a State meet on Nov. 25 making this a historic season for both teams.

Varsity’s next meet is the CCS Championship so it is important for both teams to do well as to show how good they can be compared to schools all across the Bay Area.