The girls cross country team took a flight to Portland, Oregon to compete in the Nike Pre Nationals race. The team returned with heavier suitcases, loaded with a Varsity Championship plaque.
The athletes ran the Nike Cross National course, where the nation’s top cross country teams compete for a national championship every December. The 5000 meter course (3.1 miles) is not known for producing especially fast times, since runners must traverse through mud, small hills, and hurdle hay bales during the race.
“The course is a good transition from 100 percent flat courses and was extremely fun.,” said junior Mandy Wainfan.
Poly placed first as a team. Sophomore Melissa Tanaka finished third overall in the Varsity race, and first for Poly with a time of 18:52. Tanaka led a relatively young team, with fellow sophomores Brenda Rosales ( 11th, 19:27), Olivia Gleason (16th 19:39), and Lauren Fillipow (17th, 19:45) finishing after her. Junior Mandy Wainfan (21st 19:51) followed after, with senior Pamela Tran (22nd,19:55) and freshman Leslie Diaz (30th, 20:04).
While in Oregon, the team visited the Nike Sports Field: all-weather track, with trees surrounding it on all sides. At the field, they met professional runners including Mary Cain, Jordan Hassay, and legendary running coach Alberto Salazar.
The team will use this experience for future races in the season, and try for a strong postseason, making it to the state meet.
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