Though few in numbers, cross-country team sets new personal records at Oct. 1 meet

Héloïse Schep
Sophomore Heidi Johnson, left in black and pink shorts, runs the 2.1-mile freshman/sophomore race. She finished at 17:17.5, a personal record.

The cross-country team brought in strong results at their last meet: four runners set personal records, despite challenging factors.

On Oct. 1, the team competed in their sixth meet of the season at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.

This race was the biggest the team has ever competed in. There were more than 200 runners in each race, and the races featured middle-school, high-school  and college teams.

Because an SAT test fell on the date of the race, only five of the team’s runners could attend.

Juniors Theo Kaufman and Andrew Rossell ran the 5000-meter varsity boys’ race. Kaufman finished at 19:04.9, and Rossell at 27.19.4, a personal record. The boys placed 81st and 199th, respectively, out of 205 runners.

Junior Riya Rampalli ran the 5000-meter varsity girls’ race. She finished at 26:04.9, also a personal record, and placed 232nd of 286 runners.

Freshman Zak Wright ran the 2.1-mile freshman/sophomore boys’ race. He finished at 12:25.9, a personal record, and placed 33rd of 173 runners.

Wright said he was happy with his results, but his greatest challenge was pacing.

Héloïse Schep
Sophomore Heidi Johnson, third from the left, prepares herself for the 2.1-mile freshman/sophomore race.

“I wanted to keep a consistent pace, but I also wanted to keep up with the other runners and get the best time possible.” Wright said.

Sophomore Heidi Johnson ran the 2.1-mile freshman/sophomore race. She finished at 17:17.5, her fastest time this season, and placed 173rd of the 247 runners.

Before the race, Johnson said she was well-prepared.

“My ankle’s completely healed, and I feel confident about this race,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s race had to be restarted twice because of injuries. The first time, a runner tripped over another runner’s leg. The second time, a runner fell at the starting line.

The next race will be Saturday, Oct. 8, at Granite Regional Park.

By Héloïse Schep

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