Paly’s boys’ cross country runners began a promising season with a third overall finish as a team in the varsity race, a second overall finish in the JV race, and individual first places in both divisions at the Lowell Invitational on Saturday in San Francisco.
Junior Philip MacQuitty finished the 2.93 mile course in first place overall with a time of 14 minutes 42 seconds, breaking the 14:59 course record he set in 2007. Also placing well in the varsity race from Paly were junior Henry Jordan and senior Skyler Cummins; Cummins finished with a time of 15:50, only seconds behind Jordan’s 15:46.
“I did really well,” Jordan said, “It was a good race — fast and tough, but good.”
Jordan and Cummins displayed teamwork throughout the race, running with junior teammates Peter Wilson and Josh Newby to reach new personal records.
“We ran as a pack for most of the way,” Wilson said. “The guys really worked off each other.
Jordan also enjoyed racing with the support of his team.
“[We] built off and encouraged each other the entire way,” Jordan said. “It’s nice to compete with people who can help you.”
The boys’ junior varsity division also showcased an outstanding amount of talent with a one-two finish by juniors Ben Sklaroff and Andrew Stober, Sklaroff with a time of 16:45 and Stober with a close 16:50.
“I thought I ran a pretty smart race,” Stober said. “I was pretty steady throughout it.”
Sklaroff and Stobers’ finishes, along with junior Alex Voet’s 10th place 17:35, helped the JV boys win second place overall in the JV division.
The freshmen boys also performed well, earning an overall second place, with freshman Corso Rosati as the first Paly runner to finish the 2.13 mile frosh/soph course, with a time of 13:09.
“The freshmen boys did really well, placing second in their first real race,” boys’ Coach Joe Ginnani said.
The sophomore boys placed fourth overall, only one point behind the sophomore division’s third-place team, and two points behind the division’s second-place team.
The Lowell race was a step up from last week’s Gunn meet, boasting a longer course and hillier terrain, though still relatively flat.
“The course was a better course than the Gunn meet,” Ginnani said, “It’s a good progression.”
There was also a general sense of achievement among the runners on Saturday, many of whom reached new personal records during the invitational.
“I shaved a minute off last year’s time,” sophomore Brandon Dukovic said.
The boys hope to continue their success at their next meet, the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Preview, at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Central Park in Santa Clara.