Held in the Lakes area of Whittier on Nov. 1, Arcadia and 17 other schools near the SoCal area competed in the annual and long-awaited race, the 2019 Apache Invitational. With numerous parents from the athletes helping out, this race was extremely significant, as it was the last race before league finals.

The official course was set in Legg Lake Park, an area where numerous races and meets were previously held. With the coaches and team managers helping out in each race, this ensured that every single race would be successful. Though senior Aaron Lee did not race, “patrolling the course and making sure that no one walked on it as the safety guard was amazing. I had an amazing time and wearing a bright yellow vest brought a lot of people to ask me for directions. Overall, this year’s Apache Invite was a success.” 

In the Frosh/Soph girls race, the team scores ended with Great Oak, Downey SS, Trabuco Hills, Granada Hills, Culver City, Schurr, Arcadia, Apple Valley, El Rancho, and La Mirada. Though they placed 7th, Arcadia made sure to get back to the top in the next few races. 

In spite of the small rolling hills and warm weather, Arcadia’s Boys Frosh/Soph race placed 7th out of 14 teams. As Great Oak finished 1st, Trabuco Hills, La Quinta, Millikan, Downey SS, Granada Hills, Warren, Culver City, Schurr, Garfield, La Mirada, Serrano, and El Rancho followed after. 

Although the JV girls didn’t have enough people to score officially, junior Geena Limfat placed 11th and junior Promise Li placed 31st out of 61 runners. 

In the Gold JV boys race, Great Oak took a major lead in 1st, Warren, Granada Hills, Trabuco Hills, El Rancho, Downey SS, Schurr, La Quinta, Culver City, Arcadia, and La Mirada followed after with a difference in a couple of points. Junior Trevor Carter placed 60th, junior Dominic Price placed 84th, junior Ivan Keath placed 86th, senior Peyton Chen placed 98th, and senior Mark Bonilla placed 122nd out of 141 people. 

The Varsity girls placed 9th out of 14 teams, with Great Oak taking 1st, Milikan, Oaks Christian, Culver City, Garfield, Downey SS, Elsinore, Paloma Valley, La Quinta, El Rancho, Moreno Valley, Schurr, and Cleveland coming in next. In 34th place, junior Anica Maninang scored the first point for Arcadia, while junior Chloe Sorrell, sophomore Ella Yee, junior Ariana Parizadeh, and juniors Savannah Vuong and Britney Chieng followed shortly after. 

In the Varsity boys race, Arcadia placed 12 out of 15 teams, with freshman William Lynn scoring the first point with a time of 16:08. Junior Jarod Cardenas, senior Brian Soong, junior Henry Hsieh, and junior Kyle La took the next couple of places. Senior Brian Soong stated, “Apache Invite was completely different and new to use and others this year given the new course due to the conflicting Breeder’s Cup. Overall, the course was extremely flat and forgiving, aiding in the quick times and PRs seen throughout the day. It allowed me to execute my race plan accordingly and come within a second of my lifetime personal record.”

Though Arcadia did not race in the boys’ and girls’ sweepstakes race, Great Oak took the lead in both. 

While the league-meet schools did not come to race, schools from El Monte, Temecula, Menifee, and more came to get in one last race before the season officially ended. 

By hosting the meet itself, numerous schools from all over the district and more came to race for a personal record and earning medals. With this being the last race before League Finals and CIF championships, this race was important for many of the runners. 

Because this was towards the end of the season, this race was a progress check to see how far the runners had gotten. 

Good Luck Apaches and get ready to finish the last race of the season strong!