Although many thought that the 2015 season for Carlmont Cross Country would be a rebuilding season, the team has exceeded expectations.

On Thursday Oct. 29, the Carlmont team competed against other local schools in the final Pacific Athletic League meet. The meet took place at the Crystal Springs Course in Belmont.

Many Scots runners performed well as they set about conquering the 3.1 mile course.

The Scots placed second in boys frosh-soph, fourth in boys varsity, and third in girls varsity. In addition to the great team scores, there were many good individual scores. Notable scores included an eighth out of ninety finish by sophomore Megan Uozumi in the varsity girls race and a 17th out of 113 finish by sophomore Ryan Wilson in the varsity boys race.

“We did really well today. We surpassed our expectations by a lot,” said senior and captain of boys varsity, Mario Valenzuela. “Many of our guys broke their personal records”.

Cross Country at Carlmont has always been a dominant force in the Central Coast Section, winning 7 of the last 10 championships. However, all but one of the varsity members graduated last year, and the team has had to rebuild from the bottom again. With little expectation to qualify for CCS this year, the young varsity squad has turned heads and has reclaimed a spot as a strong contender in the PAL.

“I have been very pleased with how our team is doing this year, I have been very happy with everybody’s improvement,” said Head Coach Al Schmidt. “The team has been very dedicated and they have been a great group to coach.”

The Scots will race in the PAL championship meet next Saturday. A top six finish like the one today will guarantee them a spot in the CCS.

“We need to be mentally prepared like today next week so we can qualify [for CCS].” said Wilson