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SJS Cross Country Competes at Invitationals

By Emma Chang, St. John's School, School Buzz Reporter | September 23, 2021

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St. John's School girls' cross country team is off to a strong start!

The SJS girls’ cross-country team competed in the John Cooper Dragon XC Invitational at Burroughs Park on Sept. 4 for their second meet of the season. This season marks the second time the girls ran this course.

The weather conditions were perfect, which set the Mavericks up for a quality race.

Due to it being so early in the season, this course was only two miles, as opposed to the normal five thousand meters.

The race is divided into three groups: Varsity Division I, Varsity Division II, and Junior Varsity.

For all divisions, the Dragon XC Invitational course features a long downhill at the start, winding paths and a trail of rocks and loosely packed sand. Then, at the one-mile mark, a runner will follow the U-turn in the trail and trudge back up the hill they started on.

In Varsity Division I race, seniors CiCi Calhoun, Sarah Clark and Caroline Thames, junior Alexa Christensen and sophomore Ayla Hasan medaled, and junior Lucia Varma medaled in the Varsity Division II race.

The Mavericks managed to finish second out of seven schools in all three races.

“The girls had a great day of racing,” said Rachel Fabre, the head coach of the girls’ cross-country team. “I can tell that the team is starting to put their training to use.”

On Sept. 11, the girls ran at the Rosehill Cross Country Challenge meet at Spring Creek Park.

Again, running a two-mile race, the Rosehill course presented the Mavs with numerous hills and a long run through the woods.

This race only had a Varsity Division and a Junior Varsity Division.

In the Varsity Division, all the runners medaled: seniors CiCi Calhoun, Sarah Clark, Caroline Thames, Rebecca Bollich and Anahi Marquez, juniors Alexa Christensen, Elizabeth Reed, Natalie Boquist, Lucia Varma and Nora Doughty and sophomore Ayla Hasan.

In the JV Division, seniors Ellie Eikenburg, Ava Hicks and Sophie Trammel, junior Katie Karlson and freshmen Caroline Chiao, Ashley Ringold and Emarie DiBella medaled.

The Mavs placed first in the Varsity Division and second in the JV division.