Cross Country Sweeps League Finals
Boys
Over the past few weeks, the boys cross country team has been dominating almost all other schools in the area.
They used their latest preliminary race on Nov. 16 as a tempo run to better prepare them for the CIF Championship meet that will occur over Thanksgiving break. Senior Carrick Denker, captain of the cross country team, discussed the work ethic and talent of the team. He remarked, “The way we’ve been training and racing there’s no reason why we can’t expect to see a podium finish and qualify for Nationals the following weekend.”
At the South Coast League Finals on Wednesday, Nov. 6, the boys accomplished quite a feat. They swept the entire meet. Dana Hills racers took the top five spots in the race, led by sophomore Jai Dawson yet again. He finished with a time of 14:17.2.
The Riverside Invitational was held on Oct. 26, and the Dolphins, yet again, showcased their talents with another win. Dawson had a quality race, finishing with a time of 15:00.3. This earned him a second place finish overall, first for the Dolphins. Following closely behind him was junior Brandon Pizano with a time of 15:13.1. Dana just keeps rolling and rolling this year.
On Oct. 19 at the Orange County Championships, one of the biggest races of the year, the Dolphins had a very decisive win over almost twenty other schools. Dawson and Denker placed first and second for Dana Hills and second and third overall in the race. Both had impressive times in the three mile race: 14:41.1 for Dawson and 14:44.2 for Denker. The dominance and leadership of Denker and Dawson has been consistent throughout the season. These are performances that will undoubtedly lead to success later in the season and at the state meet.
Senior Omar Garcia, four-year member of this exceptional cross country team, spoke to the success of the young talents on the team, especially Dawson, saying, “We are looking good this year. We have a strong team and have depth with so many fast juniors.”
Girls
CIF preliminaries occurred Saturday, Nov. 16, and the team had a solid meet. The fifth place overall was a much needed finish for the Dolphins and the longer postseason they desire. Freshman Allura Markow placed eleventh overall but first for Dana, with a time of 17:38.1. Senior captain Marisa Gaitan also had a good race, placing second for Dana with a time of 17:45.8.
The Dolphins took second in the South Coast League Finals on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Many good performances were had despite this tough defeat. Gaitan placed first for the Dolphins and third overall, with a time of 17:07.2. Markow, yet again, had a great race, finishing with a time of 17:22.3 and a second place finish for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins had a tough meet at the Riverside Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 26. They placed eleventh overall out of 26 schools. The best performance was had by Markow, who finished with a time of 17:46.1. Hopefully, the team can regroup and perform better at the next meet.
Our Dolphins raced in the Orange County Championships meet Saturday, Oct. 19. The girls performed well, ending the meet with a strong sixth place finish. Notable times were raced by senior captain Gaitan and freshman Allura Markow. Gaitan finished with a time of 17:41.3, which earned her a tenth place finish overall; Markow finished with a time 17:50.6, which earned her a twelfth place finish overall.
The girls hope to build off of these hard fought battles and hope to do well in the some postseason.
