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“They [The Vikings] finished fourth out of twelve teams,” head coach Paul Jones said. “We ran all seniors and one junior [in varsity].”
Senior Susan Heinselman led the team with a second place finish in 15 minutes and two seconds on the 2.33-mile course, but the Vikings had several other standout performances.
“She [Heinselman] had a excellent race,” Jones said. “She ran a great race and didn’t blow out and ran a strong second half of the race.”
Although the course was short compared to a typical five-kilometer (3.1-mile) course, there were several challenging aspects. A half mile into the course, there is an infamously difficult hill named Cougar Hill, followed by hay bales that runners have to jump over at the second mile.
“Gracie [Cain] and I went out for the first mile together,” Heinselman said. “When I saw the hill I thought I was going to die.”
Another outstanding performance came from senior Rachel Vasquez, who finished fourth for Paly in 16:30, according to Jones.
After a disappointing performance during Vasquez’s last race, she wasn’t under as much pressure for this race.
“The weather was good and I didn’t stress at all,” Vasquez said. I didn’t have any expectations because I didn’t run well last week and gave it my best shot.”
Overall, the girls were pleased with the team’s performance.
“The team did really well,” Vasquez said. “It was a tough race for a few girls, but we did really well.”
The Vikings are looking forward to the rest of the season after seeing improvements over the first few races.
“I definitely think our team has come a long way, as we have some runners that are constantly improving, and those are the ones to look out for,” junior Lydia Guo said.
The girls’ next race will be the Crystal Springs Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Preview at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Crystal Springs.