Palo Alto High School’s cross country team competed in its first meet of the season this past Tuesday with strong performances from each grade level and both genders, especially from standout sophomore Bryn Carlson.

In a total of eight races against Gunn and St. Francis High Schools, Paly ran well on the 2.18 mile-long course on Gunn’s home turf with three first place finishes.

“Overall we’re pretty pleased with how the team did,” varsity senior captain Audrey DeBruine said. “I think we’re at a place where we can definitely improve over the season. I feel we’re at a good base.”

Paly’s first place finishes came from Bryn Carlson in the sophomore girls’ division with a time of 12:55, Declan Cassini in the sophomore boys’ division with a time of 12:31, and Aaron Chandler in the junior boys’ division with a time of 11:54.

The sophomore girls’ heat was the most Paly-dominant, sweeping the top four slots with Portia Barrientos in second with a time of 14:16, followed by Emma Raney with a time of 14:18 and Emily Zhang with a time of 14:34.

According to several teammates and head coach Paul Jones, the biggest surprise of the meet came from Carlson, who finished nearly a minute ahead of the second fastest time on Paly’s girls’ team.  Carlson was a strong competitor in the 2013 track season and had been training intensely over the summer, according to Jones.

“She was putting in probably about 35 miles a week when she came in,” Jones said. “I think her strong start is only going to push Katie Foug even more.”

Varsity captain Katie Foug finished second in the junior girls division with a time of 13:46 as the second-fastest female Paly runner of the day. Other notable mentions include third place finishers Lauola Amanoni with a time of 14:30 and Ben Beaudry with a time of 12:28 of the freshman girls and boys divisions, respectively.

Although this was not a league meet and only a preseason event, the Vikings were encouraged by their solid performance and look forward to a variety of Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and invitational meets to expand upon their early success.

The cross country team has its next meet at 3 p.m. Sept. 10 at Crystal Springs.