Paly’s female runners are set for a winning league performance after impressive individual runs at the Crystal Springs course Thursday in Belmont.
“Overall, performance was excellent,” girls’ cross-country coach Paul Jones said. “Freshmen, sophomores and seniors all finished first out of 11. Juniors were third.”
Some of Thursday’s standout racers included seniors Susan Heinselman, who ran the 2.95-mile race in 19 minutes and 39 seconds, junior Lydia Guo, who ran a 21:14, and sophomore Chika Kasahara with a 20:22, according to official course timers.
“Overall, Paly girls dominated,” Guo said. “We placed first in every grade except for juniors. Almost everybody had great races and the freshmen really stepped up.”
Although the meet is just a preliminary league race without any consequences for league qualifications, it does have an impact on preparation moving forward.
“The meet is important as a preview for the League Championship in early November,” Jones said. “In XC, league standings all depend on the League Championship Meet, but this gives us a great idea of where we are and what we need to do.”
The race also took place at the same venue as the upcoming championships, so it is a crucial diagnostic race for runners looking to advance.
“Leagues are going to be here,” said junior Anne Hildebrand, who finished in 22:25. “It’s good practice and you know what time you need to beat.”
The girls’ team looks strong going into several consequential qualifying meets, which include city championships at Gunn’s course on Oct. 26, as well as league championships at Crystal Springs on Nov. 2.
Before city championships, the Vikings will be competing at Toro Park in Salinas on Friday. This race will be good practice, as it’s the same course on which the Central Coast Section Championships will be held, according to Jones.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story misspelled sophomore Chika Kasahara’s name. The current version of this article has been corrected.