Cross Country Team Hits its Stride
Submitted by VCHS Athletic Director Jeff Gallagher
The Valiant boys earned their first cross country state title in school history on Saturday at the state championship meet at Lane Community College in Eugene. The Valiants placed 4 runners in the top 17, scoring 73 points, 33 points ahead of runner-up Pleasant Hill. Senior Connor Garcia led the Valiants with a 5th place finish (in a field of 108 runners), completing the 5000 meter race in 16:29.
Connor earned 1st team all-state honors for the second consecutive year. Sophomore Cooper Roach and senior Andy Holstrom earned 2ndteam all-state honors by finishing in 12th and 14th places, respectively. Senior Danny Hernandez earned 3rd team all-state with his 17th place finish. Senior Aidan McLeod closed out the scoring for the Valiants with a 43rd place finish, running a personal record of 17:58. Senior Anthony Alfieri (43rd place) and sophomore Sam Teague (60th place) were also members of the state championship team.
The Valiant girls earned a 6th place finish at the state championship meet. Sophomore Annika Holstrom (19th place) and junior Sophia Chau (21st place) both earned 3rd team all-state honors. Josephine Chau, Autumn Davis, and Grace Mannen rounded out the scoring for the Valiants. Autumn ran an 18 second personal record in the final race of her career. Sophomore Morgan McDougal and freshman Fiona Walker both participated in their first state meet.
Six seniors ran their final race as a Valiant on Saturday-Anthony Alfieri, Autumn Davis, Connor Garcia, Danny Hernandez, Andy Holstrom, and Aidan McLeod. Collectively these seniors led the cross country program to 1 state championship, 5 state trophies, and 3 district titles. Congratulations to our VC seniors on an excellent four years!
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