By: Madeline Tello
Staff Writer
Mira Costa’s girls and boys cross country team sprinted their way to victory in the Hawaiian Hills.
Costa competed in the Iolani Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 15 in Oahu, HI. Costa’s varsity girls and boys teams both placed first in the 5,000 meter race.
“I’m really impressed with how the team performed,” senior Cy Chittenden said. “We had several varsity guys step up and run personal bests to help us win the meet.”
The meet began with the boys 5,000 meter race in which senior Cy Chittenden placed third with a time of 15:29. Junior Thomas Velvin placed ninth with a time of 16:06 and senior JP Soares placed tenth with a time of 16:06 in the race.
“I knew the top two guys were national caliber runners, so I figured I was going to have to run much of the race chasing after them,” Chittenden said. “I was pretty happy to get third place against some fairly tough competition.”
The girls varsity team ran the 5,000 meter race after the boys, with senior Brooke Inouye placing third in 18:78, freshman Dalia Frias placing fourth in 18:23 and senior Lucy Atkinson placing seventh in 18:45.
“All of our teams did an amazing job at this meet and swept every race in the meet,” Velvin said. “The junior varsity boys and girls, and varsity boys and girls all worked really hard to win all of their races.”
The meet continued with the boys 5,000 meter open race, where senior Russell Blakey placed fourh with a time of 17:09. Sophomore William Beck placed 6th with a time of 17:33 and sophomore Colin Beale placed seventh with a time of 17:33.
“We trained hard for this race,” Blakey said. “Our coaches, as well as our teammates, helped us step up to the line and be mentally prepared and confident going into the race.”
The race concluded with the girls 5,000 meter race open, where senior Ali Doyle placed first at 19:35. Senior Anna Graves placed second with a time of 20:00, and sophomore Julia Vazquez placed third with a time of 20:07.
“We didn’t know what to expect of the course’s terrain or of the other teams, but we felt very accomplished when we came out with a win,” senior Anna Graves said. “Despite the muddy course, everyone was able to do their best.”
The Mustangs will compete next at the Masters University Invitational on Sept. 29 at Central Park in Santa Clarita.
“For the next race, the [goal] is to bring our times down,” Blakey said. “This race was excellent preparation for our upcoming meet and also for the State competition.”
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