Last year the girls’ cross country team won their first league championship in school history and are looking to repeat that feat this year.
To keep that title, Coach Steven Munoz and the team know they need to work hard. “What we’re focusing on now is making sure they run together more, to build that camaraderie,” Munoz said. “That’s what makes the difference at the championship.”
Junior Yaretzi Cornelio, the team’s top runner, agrees. “It takes commitment, but it’s worth it,” she said.
The team’s returners are juniors Alondra Rios, Betty Camargo, Cornelio, and seniors Angelica Murillo, Erika Castro, Margarita Ramos, and Cecilia Campos. With everyone returning, they are not only looking to be the first girls’ cross country team to repeat as league champs, they are also looking into a new goal – making it to the State Championships as a team.
In the beginning of this season, the girls have completely dominated the league, winning by large results and placing high in the invitationals. The team won the Salinas City Championship. “League wise, we’re the top in the league by a large margin,” Munoz said.
At both Center Meet 1 and 2, the team finished first. “Munoz has trained us to be faster together,” Castro said. “I felt like no one was stopping me.” Camargo was satisfied with how the team was keeping their pace together as a group. “I like how we created a dynamic where we can keep up our pace as a team.”
At the Woodbridge Classic, the team placed top 15 in a race of nearly 60 teams. Munoz said.
To win league again, the team needs to win Center Meet 3 and finish no worse than 2nd at the PCAL Championship.
Winning league qualifies the team for CCS, but the team still has to work even harder if they want to be qualified for State as a team. According to Munoz, the team is currently ranked 5th in CCS. They still have competition from schools like Los Altos, Evergreen Valley, Carlmont, and Menlo Atherton. “If we at least beat Carlmont and Menlo Atherton, we can be top three, and that means state,” Muñoz said.
