The cross country teams competed at the Mt. Carmel Invitational at Morley Field

The cross country teams competed at the Mt. Carmel Invitational at Morley Field. This is one of the oldest and largest XC meets in San Diego, run at the same location as CIF finals and the Footlocker national XC championships. Almost 100 teams venture from all over California and even neighboring states for this grade-level meet. It always seems to be really hot at Mt. Carmel, and this year was no exception. 
The senior girls were the first race of the day. Gabi Smotrich and Caitlin Keane stepped to the line alongside 147 other girls from smaller schools (CIF divisions 3, 4, and 5). Gabi and Caitlin both have a lot of experience racing at Morley Field, but neither had run at this meet since it has conflicted in recent years with LJCD’s experiential education week. Both girls ran their best race yet on this challenging course, with Gabi finishing in 19:44 and Caitlin in 20:27. This bodes well for CIF!
The senior boys were next, unfortunately still without top runner Tomás Miralles and newcomer Sherif Elhussiny. Jackson Daugherty was in fact the lone senior close to 100%, as this was George Little’s first race since  recovering from a knee injury, and Ryan Watkins was markedly not at his best with stomach cramps hampering him. Jackson would finish in 18:18, not his best but one of his better times at Morley Field. One of the great things about cross country is that when a top place or a personal record isn’t a consideration, when it’s just a tough day on the course, these are often the races when the most is learned. For George, this race was a marker of sorts and a reminder that his patience and rehab paid off, that he’s on his way back to top form. He finished in 19:52. For Ryan, the race was a gut check that he gave himself. Given the option to not race, then urged to step off the course if he was in too much pain, Ryan refused and kept plugging away, showing an impressive amount of grit. He finished in 21:22. On any other day, this would be a forgettable time for Ryan, but he won’t soon forget this race.
Nicole Parry and Lexi Watkins ran next in the junior and sophomore girls races, in fields of 173 and 181 runners respectively. Last year, Nicole and Lexi ran their best race at the State Meet, with per-mile paces of 7:18 and 6:46 respectively. Yesterday Nicole finished in 19:25, 59th place, for a per-mile pace of 7:03. Lexi finished 19th in 17:58, a per-mile pace of 6:32. Showing such improvement over last year is exciting for both girls, and also for the team’s prospects.
The sophomore boys were our largest contingent of the day, and they competed in the biggest field of the day: 246. This was the first time competing at Morley Field for all four sophomores, and after a quick first mile the conditions and the course proved to be challenging. Alex Hill finished in 20:23, Nikko Sambold in 21:39, Maxx Song in 21:47, and Tom Zhau in 25:14.
The Country Day freshmen saved the best Torrey efforts for last. Isabel Miralles, competing in the 153 runner freshman girls field, jumped out with the leaders for the first mile, coming through in 6:27. Running smoothly and with confidence in just her 3rd XC race, Isabel kept her position and battled back and forth with another runner for most of the race. She covered the final .75 mi in a scorching 5:20 per-mile pace and held off a late charge by a girl from La Jolla H.S. right at the end. Isabel finished in 6th place and 17:39. This wasn’t just a good freshman time, it would have been in the top 20 in every girls race, and the top 10 in four of them. Kieko Paman also hopped out to a fast first mile with the lead pack, 5:27. At Morley Field this can be a big mistake for young runners, since the 2nd mile starts with a big hill and includes the most demanding sections of the course. Keiko held his own, though, and held his position. He finished in 17:57 and 5th place out of 239. Finishing under 18:00 the first time at Morley is impressive. Also running in the freshmen race were Nico Barrera and Nikolas Kovtun. Nico finished in 19:41 and earned a medal with his 49th place, while Nikolas came in at 20:14 and 65th, both solid times. 
All told, five of the fifteen Torrey runners earned medals (given to the top 60 in each race), with three being in the top 20 and two in the top 10. Next weekend we compete in our last grade-level meet, the Dana Hills Invitational, before a break for experiential education. Coastal League competition begins in October.
Back

La Jolla Country Day School

9490 Genesee Avenue
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-453-3440

© 2024 La Jolla Country Day School 

Privacy Policy

COVID-19 Prevention Plan

Country Day Connection Newsletter

Accredited by: