The Jesuit Classic attracts hundreds of different schools and athletes from all around the country, all looking to run in this prestigious race. The Classic, one of the biggest races for the Jesuit Cross Country team, took place on October 6th at Norbuck Park.
Varsity runner Gavin Martinez ’20 commented that “The team did really well as a whole… in that only one team from our district beat us.” Jesuit ended up placing eighth in the Varsity category. As an individual, Gavin finished in 60th with a time of 18:00.92 saying “My time was relatively close to my personal record and the course was tough, so I took the race as a good one.” In reference to what the team needs to improve upon for future races, Gavin said that while “as a team we were able to stay somewhat close together, which in cross country is necessary for success, our times just weren’t up to par [in comparison to] the other schools.” He concluded “We are close as a team, but our times need to be faster,” which the team looks to achieve through rigorous practices.
The Rangers were led by runners Henry Domine ’21 with a time of 17:32.79, a 42nd place finish, and Will Kelton ’20, with a time of 17:48.64, good enough for a solid 52nd place finish. The varsity team ended up with a total of 309 points.
Moving on to the JV team, led by Asher Smith ’20 with a time of 19:36.33 and a 42nd place finish, finished in 9th place with a total of 305 points. Ethan O’Neil ’20 followed Smith with a time of 19:37.20 and a 44th finish with Daniel Rodriguez finishing in 66th with a time of 20:12.59.
Smith stated “both JV and Varsity saw major finishes. We accepted a challenge from a very difficult course, proving how all of the early mornings, hard work, and dedication, along with constant training, has improved all of us.”
Smith echoed what Gavin’s sentiment, saying “We really have to step it up and improve [our times].” The way the scoring works for Cross country is that the closer together the times are, the higher the score, so in order for the team to do well “we need to close that time gap” and have “as many racers in the top positions as possible.”
The Jesuit Cross Country team next raced at the District Championship on October 12th, and then will race at the Regional Championships on October 23rd. Stay tuned to the Roundup for more Cross Country news!
