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The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

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Girls’ cross country predicts success, moves to CCS Division I

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Seniors Neda Ronaghi (left), Alie Simpson (center) and Marie Furter start their cross country training after school on Wednesday. The girls’ team runs every day after school to stay in shape and prepare for meets. – Marc HavlikThe Palo Alto High School girls’ cross country team is preparing for its first meet of the season against crosstown rival Gunn High School, which will be held next Thursday at the Gunn track.

Head coach Paul Jones is confident that the returning upperclassmen will provide a strong core the team can rely on.

“We have a really good team; we have five out of seven returning [varsity] runners from last year,” Jones said. “And [we have] a large team: around 60 people.”

With star seniors Susan Heinselman, Gracie Cain, Leigh Dairaghi and Erin Kiekhaefer, as well as junior Lydia Guo, Jones predicts the team will perform well despite moving up to Division I of the Central Coast Section. Paly and Gunn have both moved up divisions due to their growing student populations, according to Jones.

Some girls welcome the change because they will no longer have to race Mountain View High School, which placed eighth in state finals last year, but the Vikings are wary of new division powerhouses.

“Since we just moved up a league, I hope there won’t be anyone as good as Mountain View,” junior Anne Hildebrandt said.

Jones predicts his team will place second or third in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and the CCS finals. surpassing last year’s third place finish in leagues and seventh in CCS. The team echoed his sentiment, citing the quality of incoming students’ skills.

“I think we’ll be able to do pretty good this year because there is lots of good incoming talent,” Dairaghi said.

The first test of the year will come next Thursday when the girls face off against Gunn. The girls will compete on a 2.18-mile course that loops around Gunn and Bol Park and concludes back at the track. Although some Paly runners do not prefer the Gunn course due to its short length, the Vikings have historically raced faster as a result.

“I don’t like the Gunn course because it is flat and short, but in terms of a team, we tend to run well there,” junior Jessica May said.

Other runners find the course fun due to the flat nature, especially for new runners .

“I think that the Gunn course is really fun and challenging to run and is a great start for the freshmen who haven’t run [a race] yet,” Guo said.

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