Paly’s cross country runners finished strong at Tuesday’s SCVAL preview at Central Park in Santa Clara despite the absence of the team’s top 14 boys and girls, who will run in the Stanford Invitational instead of running the SCVAL preview.
Senior John Hicks was the first Paly runner in the varsity boys’ race, finishing in 13:58, just ahead of junior Varun Kohli at 14:03. Hicks and Kohli placed 52nd and 55th overall respectively, and third Paly runner senior Alex Browne took 62nd overall, coming in 14:27. Seniors Jay Nguyen, Abe Wilson and junior Avi Arfin finished 65th, 68th, and 79th overall at 14:37, 14:46, and 15:39, respectively.
The varsity girls, most of whom were first- or second-year cross country runners or first-time varsity runners, exceeded expectations with a second place team finish.
Sophomore Gracie Cain came in first for Paly, running the 2.3-mile course in 15:31 and winning a medal with a 17th overall finish. Sophomore Susan Heinselman also medaled, finishing second out of the Paly girls and 23rd overall at 15:46. Freshmen Rachelle Holmgren and Lydia Guo followed at 16:16 and 16:30, placing 33rd and 41st overall, respectively, out of 80 varsity girls from Monta Vista, Lynbrook, Los Gatos, Fremont, Los Altos, Cupertino, Milpitas, Homestead, Wilcox, and Saratoga.
Though the team’s performance at Central Park is not the deciding factor in its success throughout the remainder of the season, it is an ideal meet for experimentation with strategy for newer runners, according to head coach Paul Jones.
The absence of many team leaders on Tuesday left a slight lack of focus and confidence among the rest of the team, but both runners and coaches are optimistic after seeing surprising races from those who ran their first meet in the varsity division.
“We did okay, considering we didn’t have our top varsity runners today,” Jones said. “It wasn’t bad.”
The team’s top 14 boys and girls are preparing this week for their next race, the Stanford Invitational, which will take place on Saturday.