CROSS COUNTRY: Poly’s Cross Country Team competes in the first race of the season.
By Andrew Carlson, Staff Writer
Poly Cross Country, which had a great season for both boys and girls last year, showcased its new teams on Saturday, September 5 in the first meet of the season. Entering the season as last year’s league champs, the varsity boys team, along with the freshman and JV teams, ran at the new Riverside City Cross Country Course, or, as it’s more widely known, the Old Riverside Golf Course. The girls, also returning league champions, competed at the El Prado Golf Course in Chino.
The event, called the Riverside Showcase, featured 37 schools. Cross country races are normally three miles long, but due to the venue’s layout, the boys’ course was only 2.25 miles. The Old Riverside Golf Course is a dilapidated, abandoned golf course with an almost pretzel-shaped track. Its myriad of loose sand and dirt caused concern amongst the coaches and runners. “It [the course] was really soft, and it sucked your feet down and it was really dusty,” Joshua Sullivan (9) expressed when asked about the terrain of the course. There was a lack of grass and an abundance of dust in the air, which may have hindered the team’s performance as well. “The only thing I didn’t really like was that there was a lot of dirt, and it kept getting in my eyes and I couldn’t see,” Dylan Mullinax (11) said. Many runners had dust, dirt and grime on their faces, in their eyes, and in their mouth and nose. Unfortunately, none of the Poly boys’ teams won the event, but it was a favorable start to the season.
Girls, on the other hand, did run a complete three-mile course. The course, El Prado, was mainly flat, and it featured a 1.5 mile loop repeated and “L-shaped.” The event, the Cool Breeze Invitational, happened at night – out of the heat and under the lights.
“Well there were hills, I would say it’s [the course] comparable to our own course at Andulka as far as difficulty goes. In some places there were some holes that they had to run over, but a lot of it was open fairway on the golf course that’s usually pretty fast,” Coach Enyeart stated.
Deion Molina (12) was the only Poly athlete to place, coming in the top 30, but Sierra Valenzuela (12) was one spot away from placing, finishing 31st.
Overall, both teams did well and hope to use this first race as a boost to continue improving. Morale is high for all the members of the team. “I think we can only improve and get better” Erick Murrillo (11) said.
The girls asserted similar sentiments about the future. “Our team can improve by staying as a pack and encouraging each other while racing,” Audrey Hickman (9) stated.
Poly’s next event is the Woodbridge Invitational, and the program hopes to continue reaching for success.