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Competing in one of the most cutthroat fields in the country, Arcadia High School’s (AHS) Girls and Boys teams entered the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic on Sept. 16. 

In this two-day race, the Girls Cross Country team competed in both the Blue/Gold Novice Division, as well as the Blue JV Division. They finished 17th out of 41 schools in the Novice Division and 7th out of 26 schools in the JV Division. 

Competing in the Novice Division, freshman Meena Phan raced her second race ever in cross country, and this presented many challenges. 

When inquired of what the most difficult part of the sport was, Phan said, “I think the most difficult part of cross country would be the training because you have to try and stay with the group for as long as possible.”

As for the race, senior Starr Morales said her favorite part of the Woodbridge Classic was “at the end of the race, [when] they called my name on the big microphone after. I was so tired.” 

Due to this being a fast race and a mostly flat course, five racers in both the JV and Novice Division gained a new personal record. This impressive progress can be attributed to their hard work and dedication, as well as their coach, Coach Jacques Sallberg. 

When asked how he felt on how the girls competed in the race, Salberg commented, “I feel the team showed unyielding determination and focus throughout the competition. The majority of the team ran their fastest times ever and this is only the beginning. I am very proud of them and excited for what is to come.” 

The Boys Cross Country team entered into five different divisions, the Boys Blue Frosh, Soph, Junior, Senior, and Varsity Divisions. In the Boys Blue Frosh Division, AHS placed 15th out of 34 schools; 10th out of 37 in Soph; 22nd out of 27 in Junior; 12th out of 13 in Senior; and 12th out of 20 in Varsity. 

Although they placed well, Coach Harjinder (Harji) Singh, stated, “My Top 10 guys did not compete at Woodbridge because we are still training [and] getting ready for CIFs.” 

When asking Coach Harji what his favorite parts of the race were, he stated, “One of my runners who is a 9th grader can’t run more than five minutes without stopping, so I entered him in the Novice Race, and when he was running in that race for the first time, his teammates were cheering for him at the 200 meter mark out from the finish line.” 

Overall, AHS’ Girls and Boys Cross Country teams placed and ran amazingly. Their hard work and dedication throughout the summer is beginning to really pay off, and this season is just the beginning! Congratulations to everyone who competed at the 2022 Woodbridge Cross Country Classic! 

Photo courtesy of Breeanna Pham