Dos Pueblos High School Cross Country teams showcased their abilities at the CIF Championship Races. The boys’ team placed 11th out of 16 teams, while the girls’ team placed 13th out of 16 teams.
Cullen Gully (10) emerged as a standout athlete, achieving a personal best time of 14:45.6 over the 3-mile course.
Reflecting on the race, Cullen acknowledged that he misjudged his pacing, starting off too quickly in the beginning, subsequently facing a decline in energy. However, he still managed to achieve his goal.
“I was kind of setting a personal record,” Gully said.
Other runners, such as Dominic Corral (12) and Eamon Gordon (11) both made great contributions to the team, with Gordon springing through the first mile with a time of 4:39, and the two miles following at a 9:30 pace, and Corral running his personal best time of 15:43.3.
Both of the boy’s team captains, Andy Brennan (11) and Finn Wright (12), also had several achievements with both of the captains setting personal records. Brennan had a personal record time of 16:13.0 and Wright had a time of 16:18.6. The captains passed five other runners en route to the finish line, with Brennan placing sixth and Wright placing seventh.
Although the boys’ team could not advance further into the CIF Final matches, the team ultimately ended with five personal records.
“Even though we got eliminated, we ran our best,” said Coach David Jackson. “It’s a hard thing to swallow sometimes when you give it all you’ve got and you still don’t advance. But thankfully, one of the best things about our team is the resiliency aspect of it.”
The girls’ team also had several notable stand out runners. The team captain, Sophie Saleh (12), concluded her run with a sprint to the finish, achieving her personal best time for 2 miles at 12:26, subsequently running her best 3-mile time in her cross country career .
Another pivotal player who led the girls’ team was Vienza Machuca (10), who also brought the Chargers forward to 13th place as she moved from 63rd to 39th place throughout the course of the three miles.
“She’s only a sophomore, but she has grown in leaps and bounds, and her own resiliency and showing that she’s not fazed by being upfront and dangerous competition,” Jackson said. “She put herself in a position where she was competitive.”
Eloise Shea (11) passed six other runners, later concluding her run from 102nd place to 64th.
Other runners such as Maddy Myers (10) moved up from 110th place to 100th and finished as the fourth runner for the Chargers girls’ team. Additionally, she beat her best 2-mile run by two seconds (13:18).
Although the girls’ race came to an end and they are unable to advance further in CIF finals, Coach Jackson still has high expectations for the team going into next year.
“We’re gonna take one step further than we did last year to do that,” Jackson said. “You might not have to train harder, but you might have to train smarter, might have to put in specific time training at the speed you want to be good at on race day.”
Jackson explains the commitment made by the team during the season.
“It’s such a pleasure to be at a school with such high standards … I joke with the kids that we’re in AP Cross Country,” Jackson said. “It’s these extra things that the Charger atmosphere on campus has … [like] building pride to stand up straight.”
Despite not progressing beyond CIF Finals, both cross-county teams concluded the season with commendable achievements, personal records, top placements across the Mt. Sac track, and a promising potential for future CIF Finals.
