The Knights and Cubs lost their first BCL West cross-country meet on Sept. 19 against University High School, but strong performances were still put together for The Hall.

Stuart Hall’s fastest runner was Phoenix Aquino-Thomas ’18, who placed fourth overall with a time of 16:27, 14 seconds faster than last year. Antonio Dominguez ’18 ran the second fastest time with a 16:44, 37 seconds better than last year.

This was not the first meet of the year for the Knights, though.

At the College Prep Invitational, the Knights placed fourth out of 16 teams while the Cubs took ninth. Ten individual runners from both schools received medals.

The varsity boys team stood out by finishing 15th out of 33 teams at the Lowell Invitational and set a new school record for the Hellman’s Hollow course with a combined time of 82:20.

While most fall season sports started on the first week of school, cross-country practices began back in June, allowing the team extra preparation for several long races throughout the season.

Mid-October’s Mt. SAC Invitational remains the most anticipated race of the season, with athletes looking forward to their annual trip to Disneyland. Taking place outside of Los Angeles, it is the largest cross country race in the world.

“How we perform all season long will prepare us for the big race in LA. We run a lot of challenging courses in oppressive heat. We’re ready for any race,” Lucas Miller ’18 said.
Head Coach Michael Buckley, who has been coaching the cross-country team for 17 seasons, hopes the young runners gain stamina to last the long season.

“His coaching style can be demanding on athletes, but it makes us better as a result,” Ben Kaplan ’18 said.
Coach Buckley has high hopes for the team this season and credits their success to individual athletes.

“We’re fortunate to have a deep contingent of juniors and seniors who would be solid varsity athletes,” Buckley said.
The Knights and Cubs are nearly halfway through their regular season, and their impressive results could indicate a successful end of season

“It’s our values that will make our success. If we can live up to our own standards of competitive spirit, discipline, determination, and effort, we’ll have a successful season,” Buckley said.