Cross country is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. On Saturday, September 2, teams met for the Labor Day Classic, an annual high school cross country meet hosted by Palo Verde High School. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors from eighteen schools around the district competed.

Clark had a strong showing, placing sixth overall in mens and womens. Congratulations to top 100 overall in each 5k event (placements):

Mens JV: Nickolas Aguillon (13), Jorge Castro (14) Michael Finley (30), Riley Tran (42), Ezekiel Nyberg (78), and Bryan A’Hearn (82)

Mens Varsity: Liam Jones (3), Trevor Pearl (9), Mario Tavares (28), and Xavier Byrd (68)

Womens JV: Lina Gonzalez-Munoz (19), Amanda Bennion (31), Thea Espanola (36), Katherine Womens Varsity (47), Kaelyn Monroe (50), Eden Bulleman (64), Sharon Vernaz (91)

“What motivated me in this race was that I really wanted to get into the top 10. Jorge and my teammates have been pushing me to improve since the last race,” says Aguillon, who placed thirteenth in the junior varsity 5k with a time of 18:32.

“My teammates drive me every day, and I strive to be the best of the best,” says sophomore Jorge Castro, who placed fourteenth in the JV 5k with a time of 18:40.

We spoke to senior runners Liam Jones and Trevor Pearl, the latter of whom is the varsity boys captain for cross country.

“My motivation today was mostly to have a race I could be proud of, as I made some serious pacing errors in both of them,” says Jones, who placed third overall in the varsity 5k with a time of 17:09.

“Every race, I’m driven by one thing: the desire to prove to myself that I can. That’s all it takes,” says Pearl who placed ninth overall in the varsity 5k with a time of 17:42.

Overall, the team is showing great promise for the meets and competitions to come. Coach Charles Bennion was hopeful, speaking about the season to come.

“I love this team. Each runner brings a unique personality and influence, like the vibrant colors in a painting. I look forward to getting back to practice.”