The MVHS varsity boys cross country team placed first in the rated division at the Woodbridge Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21 in Irvine. The girls varsity team placed second in the gold division, two points behind cross country powerhouse Newbury Park High School.
The Woodbridge Invitational attracted thousands of runners from across the country, including teams from as far as Seattle, Dallas, and Maitland, Florida. A total of 52 races were held, with teams separated by school size and strength according to the Woodbridge Invitational website and results.
“That was really a good sign for this team and a good indicator of what we can do this season,” senior team captain Rory Olsen said.
The boys rated race was the second fastest heat held, and was designated as a “feature race” by race organizers. The Spartans finished with a team time of 1:14:24, with a spread – the time difference between the first and fifth points-scoring runner – of 11 seconds. The Spartans’ spread was the smallest among the teams in their heat by a significant margin, with the second place team’s spread at 25 seconds.
“We’ve been working together for months now… training together at the same pace and doing everything together for this running process,” Olsen said. “Our team’s been pretty tightly knit, and we have a lot of depth.”
Despite the 240 entrants in the race, Olsen said the team tried to stick together as they moved up in the race, looking for the “black uniforms and trying to stick with them.”
The girls team also placed highly and left Irvine with a silver medal and a spread of 1:48. Senior Maya Eisenberg placed 5th and junior Cassidy Misuraca placed 6th.
“The girls did really well,” Eisenberg said. “I’m so proud of the team.”
The team improved five places from last year, when they finished seventh in the same division. Eisenberg chalked it up to the work runners have been doing in the offseason in the winter and summer.
“On both ends, there’s just a lot of success, and it’s a great indicator of all of our training and teamwork,” Olsen said.
