The Palo Alto High School girls’ and boys’ cross country teams are off to a strong start, having earned top standings in their first two meets of the season.

“We’ve had a good start to the season, so I think we’ll do well,” junior Amalia Roth said.

Sophomore Josh Yuen expects the boys’ team to be strong as well.

“[We have] a lot of young runners that have a lot of potential for the future so we are looking good so far,” Yuen said.

At the Gunn High School alumni meet on the Sept. 3, Paly stole the top four spots in the sophomore girls’ division. In the race, sophomores Bryn Carlson and Portia Barrientos placed first and second at 12:55 and 14:16 respectively, according to PrepCalTrack.com. Junior Katie Foug also placed second with a time of 13:46 in her division.

The sophomore boys also dominated at Gunn, winning five out of the six top spots with Declan Cassini leading them at 12:31. Also placing first in his division, junior Aaron Chandler ran a time of 11:54. Paly’s fastest run was by freshman star Kent Slaney who placed second in the senior division with a time of 11:31.

Slaney also won the freshman boys’ division at the first SCVAL meet at Crystal Springs with a time of 16:59.4. Running a 16:04.8, Carlson placed third in her division.

Despite some upperclassmen injuries, the girls’ team has discovered two standout freshmen: Lauola Amandoni and Natalie Maloney, according to Jones.

The Paly girls’ and boys’ cross country teams will compete in the Lowell Invitational at 7 a.m. this Saturday at Golden Gate Park.