XC Visits Hawaii
Boys
Cross country season is back! The Dolphins are coming off of a hot season. Last year, they defeated schools such El Toro, San Clemente, Tesoro and Trabuco Hills in a very competitive league and captured the league title. By the end of the year, they finished with a national ranking and sent multiple students to Division I universities. Losing stars like Simon Fuller and Garret Hough was undoubtedly disappointing for program, but this year’s talent is looking very good as well. Senior and four-year letterman Carrick Denker is likely to lead the team to many victories alongside other stars such as senior Omar Garcia and junior Brandon Pizano.
The boys competed at the Mount Carmel Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21. The team came in first place overall led by team captain Denker. He came in third place overall and ran a time of 15:41. The team placed their top five boys in the top 20 overall in the race.
The boys started off the season with a trip to Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii for the 2019 ‘Iolani Cross Country Invitational. The race, which is held on the island of Oahu, went well for the program. Denker finished first overall with a time of 15:06.13 while junior Ryan Broadhead and sophomore Jai Dawson finished second and third with times of 15:40.4 and 15:41.55, respectively. Dana had an overwhelming victory over all the other schools at the meet.
Mission Viejo High School hosted a meet where many of our varsity runners raced in the 3,200 meter on Friday, Aug. 30. Denker placed first for our school and fourth overall, with a time of 9:44.94, with Brandon Pizano and Ryan Broadhead placing second and third for the Dolphins with times of 9:52.30 and 9:55.10. Hopefully, the team can build off these performances and have another amazing season.
Girls
Coming off of a great season last year with intense battles against El Toro, San Clemente, Tesoro and Trabuco Hills, the Dolphins have to show the progress that the team has made throughout the year. It was a great year for the girls and served as a confidence booster for the 2019 season. Although the loss of stars like Leila Keyvan, Lolo Soto and Sarah Mang was undoubtedly painful for team, the program is ready to rise to the occasion and win yet again. Senior Eliza Brian is going to lead the team to many victories alongside other stars such as Senior Felicia White and Junior Kassondra Kahle.
The girls competed at the Mount Carmel Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21. The team came in first place overall, led by senior Marissa Gaitan who placed first for the Dolphins with a time of 16:42.6. White and Brian placed second and third for the Dolphins with times of 17:48.5 and 17:50.2, respectively.
The cross country girls started off the season with a trip to Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii for the 2019 ‘Iolani Cross Country Invitational. This was undoubtedly a great trip for the girls. The race on Saturday, Sept. 14 went well for the program. Freshman phenom, Allura Markow, finished first for Dana Hills with a time of 18:08.21, while Senior Marisa Gaitan placed second for the school with a time of 18:21.71. Dana had a fourth place finish at the meet, beating over fifteen other schools. Brian had this to say about the trip as a whole: “The Hawaii trip allowed our team to grow closer and train hard which will hopefully carry over into the rest of our season.”
Mission Viejo hosted a preseason meet where many of our varsity racers raced in the 3,200 meter on Friday, Aug. 30. Marrkow placed first for Dana Hills with a time of 11:27. Gaitan and Freshman Mia Geiger placed second and third for the Dolphins with times of 11:49 and 11:51, respectively. The Dolphins look to build off these wins and have another winning season.
Echoing these sentiments, Denker commented, “I’m excited to see how this season goes. I really feel like we have a committed team that has a good chance at competing for a state championship this year.”
