(Graphic by Jackson Crawford)
Junior Olivia Chilelli, recovering from a bad cold, outperformed the top finisher from her previous high school in the Del Oro Invitational on Oct. 12 at Johnson-Springview Park in Rocklin.
Chilelli finished 34th of 105 runners in the varsity girls small-school 5,000 meters with a time of 22 minutes, 44.7 seconds.
“I didn’t find out until after the race ended that I was running against my old school,” said Chilelli, who transferred from Highlands High School. “It got me to realize that I’m still a good runner, and it inspired me to push myself even harder in cross country. My dad was way more excited (than me), though; he was telling a bunch of people about it.”
Chilelli, who had stomach cramps before the race, finished more than two minutes ahead of Highlands’ fastest runner.
“I was aiming for 24 minutes,” Chilelli said. “But miraculously, I stopped cramping up right before the race.”
Coach Joe Hartman said he was impressed with Chilelli’s performance.
“Despite missing workouts for the PSAT test, being sick, and the school trip, she still performed really well,” Hartman said.
The Cavaliers’ next meet is the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League Championships on Oct. 21 at Sacramento Adventist Academy.
—By Miles Morrow
