For the members of Del Oro’s boys cross country team, the results of Tuesday’s South Yosemite Horizon League championships were as expected.
The Suns captured its second league title convincingly, with all seven varsity runners finishing in the top eight. Juniors Noel Huato and Alex Garcia took first and second places, respectively, with the former finishing with a time of 14 minutes, 47.83 seconds and the latter ending with a time of 15:54.49. Senior Antonio Torres finished fourth with a time of 15:55.29.
“It feels good to win,” Torres said. “The team worked hard. We’re used to more challenging competition.”
Prior to the race, Huato said his goal was to break the Hart Park course record; however, he fell short by two seconds.
The Suns JV boys team finished second at the league meet. Freshman Dante Hernandez was the team’s fastest runner and finished in sixth place with a time of 12:44.59. Del Oro’s girls varsity team took fifth place at the league championships, with junior Sonia Alba finishing in fourth place with a time of 21:23.11.
Alba said she wasn’t expecting to place among the top runners.
“Before the race, I remember Susi (Jacome) telling me, ‘You’ve got to make top ten, just push it,'” Alba said. “That’s really what motivated me to go faster and run.”
Alba’s fourth-place finish came just a week after the girls won their first meet of the season against Mira Monte — appropriately, on senior night. The girls showed how bonded, strong, and dedicated the team had become, especially with the seniors running in their last season.
Alba reflected on the team’s victory against Mira Monte and said she was proud of her teammates’ performance.
“A lot of us were able to set PR’s (personal records) and we did win it, so it was really good and fun,” she said.
Alba said that with seniors Alexa Cruz and Miley Hernandez Moreno departing, “I feel kind of sad… but I’m very happy for them to be able to go into that next chapter of their lives.”
Alba also said she’s taken inspiration from her senior teammates, saying, “I’ve learned a lot from them, whether it’s just running or something personal.”
Meanwhile, juniors Jacome and Leslie Moreno Cortes reflected on the team’s bond, which was strengthened by the leadership of the seniors.
“We’re proud of all of our team,” Moreno said.
“It feels good,” Jacome said. “I finally got to race with a team of my friends, and they’re my closest friends, so it means a lot winning together with them.”
Jacome also pointed out that new uniforms and hair bows, made by Cruz’s mom, provided a much-needed confidence boost this season.
“When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you perform good,” Jacome said.
