Cross Country competes in Hawaii

Dempsey Clancy-Symond

Staff Writer

Mira Costa Cross Country competed again in the Iolani Cross Country Invitational on Sep. 14th in Hawaii. Both boys and girls teams dominated the competition.

“I was thrilled to have the opportunity to run in Hawaii at a high competition level,” freshman Isabella Amy said. “My favorite memory about the meet was seeing my teammates cheer me on at spots where it was difficult to push through.”

The event started off with 2 miles Intermediate, girls and then boys, a race which Costa did not compete in. The following event was the Women’s 3 Miles Open. Senior Alexandra Goldman finished in 2nd, with a time of 20:50.52 minutes, and senior Natalie Brown  finished 9th, putting Costa in 1st place. 

“Being a freshman on the team, it was so much fun to join the team in Hawaii,” freshman Alexis Cusato said, “I was able to bond with everyone on a deeper and more personal level”

The Mustangs continued at the next event, mens 3 Miles Open. Costa came in second and third place with sophomores Killian Cistone and Sean Liu. Following them, 3 more of our runners, juniors Sebastian Lopez and Max Myronowicz, and sophomore Franklin Rodgers, came in 6th, 7th and 8th place. Mira Costa won first overall.

“The experience of visiting Hawaii was exhilarating and forced me to come out of my shell,” Rodgers said, “I tied my personal record on a difficult course and managed to beat some of my teammates.”

In the final two competitions, the championships, Costa had remarkable times, according to Cusato. In the women’s 3 Miles Championship, sophomore Sadie Wilson came in 8th place with a time of 18:15:49 minutes, just ahead of junior Alana Clarke.

The mens 3 Miles Championship also ended well, with Costa winning 1st altogether. Senior Issac Faynsod came in 3rd place with a time of 15:01.7 minutes, followed by juniors Krish Desai and Carson Ehman, placing 7th and 8th. 

“The collective effort and support poured in by the athletetes was one of the finnest moments I have witnessed at MCXC,” head coach Rebecca Kelly said.