With the Saugus Cross Country Season coming to an end and CIF finals starting let’s dive into how the season went. The hardworking team had an excellent season with many wins and accomplishments all due to the months of training 6 days a week. With lots of new runners, Coach Berns had made sure they trained enough for the numerous races they had throughout the season.
To kick off the season Saugus Cross Country raced at the Moorpark XC Invitational on September 8th. This was the 3rd annual Moorpark Invitational and 21 teams had competed. Saugus placed 2nd place overall out of the 21 teams with many runners medaling. The flat 3-mile course consisted of approximately three large loops, but with the heat, it was a very rough race. Thankfully, our runners did very well at this meet.
Continuing the season the team went off to race the 42nd annual 2023 Woodbridge Cross Country Classic presented by ASICS America. The 3-mile flat course located in Irvine, California is a lot of the runner’s favorite race in which they PR. One of the best things about this race is getting to experience the evening temperatures and racing under the lights. It is a festive 2-day meet including food trucks, merry-go-round rides, and a hot-air balloon.
The league prelims race was at COC on September 23rd. League races included all of the schools across Santa Clarita, West Ranch, Valencia, Castaic, Golden Valley, Canyon, and Hart High School. All of the Saugus Girls teams finished in first place. The boy’s teams finished in second place (frosh/soph), third place (jv), and third place (varsity) This was overall a good race for most runners.
The race after this was the 75th annual Mt. Sac invite on October 21st. This race is one of the biggest cross country meets with over 700 teams competing in the high school division. This meet takes place over the course of two weekends and even has an elementary school division, which takes place the weekend before the high school races. This race took place at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium and was full of hills including Switchbacks, Poop Out Hill, Reservoir Hill, and the Gauntlet. Our very own girl’s JV team got 1st place in their race. This course is difficult, but more exciting according to many of our successful runners.
The Foothill League Finals was the last race of the season which most runners did great in. This 3-mile race consisted of two hills, Dog Park Hill and Corner Hill. All of the girls’ teams got first place, with three of the top six in the frosh/soph race being Saugus runners. According to freshman runner Alessa Rivas, “It was a very difficult race with the big hills but with the amount of time spent training we all did very well.” Alessa also mentions “Before this XC season I’ve never been a runner and have improved so much in the last months, I’m so proud of how hard the team worked to get here.”
Overall, the Saugus Cross Country team did very well this season and will hopefully bring their skills into the CIF season. CIF only includes the best runners, but our CIF team is well-prepared to represent Saugus on Saturday, Nov 11th at Mt. Sac. Even though the whole team did not get to go to this race, the cross country team shared their excitement and support for the runners. With the cross country season ending, track season will soon begin and hopefully, our team can accomplish just as much in the track season.
