Ella Mahan
November 7, 2019
Staff Writer
Mira Costa Cross Country ran over the competition at Bay League Finals, winning Bay League and earning a spot in CIF prelims.
Mira Costa Cross Country won five out of six races overall at the Bay League Finals on Nov. 7. at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach.
“Our goals for the next season would be to get first in every race for both boys and girls next year, although we did very well this year, only not placing first in one race,” sophomore Harrison Sanders said.
The junior varsity boys kicked off the day, racing first at 1:30 p.m., finishing in first place. The win was led by senior Aidan Velleca, who finished first, closely followed by junior Blake Hampton. For the meet, the JV Boys team also raced with sophomore boys team and the original JV Boys team, creating a larger, stronger group, said sophomore Lucca Franz.
“The boys did very well, and kicked off the day with positive energy and results, which I believe contributed to the other wins throughout the day,” sophomore Sam Torres said.
The varsity girls team raced next, and came in first overall. Senior Tia Pappas finished first individually, with sophomore Kayla Kershaw one second behind Pappas, finishing in second place. The girls ran as a pack for the majority of the race, which ultimately led them to secure the win.
“The girls did a great job working together during the race and stayed together for a lot of it, branching off only at the end, with Tia Pappas finishing strongly in first,” sophomore Bella Vargas said.
The girls varsity race was followed by the boys varsity team. Boys varsity placed first in the fastest race of the night with senior Billy Atkinson finishing in third place. Although an individual Costa runner did not win this race, Costa came in first overall, with Palos Verdes High School coming in a close second.
“Costa is thrilled to have both girls and boys varsity make it to the prelims this year after all of our hard work, and hope to do just as well next season” sophomore Lucca Franz said.
The JV Girls team finished in first as a team, with senior Carmen Mel and sophomore Lucca Franz coming in first and second, respectively.
“The whole season has been super fun with tons of fast races and times, many personal bests being broken” sophomore Nolan Parker said.
The Frosh boys raced at 3:45 p.m. and came in 2nd overall. The team was led by freshman Drew Martin who came in first place, with another Costa runner, freshman Kai Graham, following closely behind in second.
“The Frosh Boys team raced well, contributing to the other wins throughout the day, and making the whole team and our coaches proud” sophomore Denise Delgado said.
Frosh girls were the final race of the night and perhaps one of the most fun races to watch according to the team, with the first four finishers coming from Costa. Freshman Heather Jensen finished in first, freshman Iyanah Samyoa in second, freshman Anna Chittenden right behind her in third place, and freshman Nicole Murch close behind in fourth.
“One of our biggest goals was to sweep this Bay League Finals meet, especially because we were hosting it at Polliwog Park this year, which we accomplished,” sophomore Kayla Kershaw said.
For boys varsity, senior Billy Aytkinson was the overall MVP, securing the first place team finish in the fastest heat of the night. Senior Tia Pappas was the overall MVP for Girls Varsity, coming in first, also securing the first place team finish. Both girls and boys varsity teams made it to the prelims and many runners beat personal bests throughout the day. This meet was the last of the season for many runners, as varsity members are the only runners to compete in the California Scholarship Federation meets post-season, beginning today.
“As we advance into CIF and state, we want to continue to push each other and to work as a team and family. I cannot wait to see where our rigorous training will take us in the future,” sophomore Lucca Franz said.
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