Story by Trisha Chakraborty
Staff Writer
Photo by Sunny (Sunhye) Choi
Staff Photographer
South Pasadena’s varsity cross country teams returned once again to Mt. San Antonio College on Saturday, Nov. 23 for the CIF Southern Section Finals, coming home with multiple titles and personal records. Their outstanding performance qualified them for State Championships, and both teams are strong contenders to win.
The girls’ team beat second place by a massive 47 points, and was crowned Division III CIF Southern Section Champions for the first time in SPHS history.
“I’m really proud of how the team did. Every day I see how hard the girls work,” senior Abigail Errington said. “It’s amazing to see that consistency pays off. Each and every one of the girls takes this sport so seriously and always puts their best foot forward.”
Individually, Errington won the race with a time of 16:56, beating out second place by over 20 seconds. Senior Saidbh Byrne finished in fourth with a time of 17:55, and senior Maya Lee finished in 19th with a time of 18:55. Senior Sofia Humphrey came in 21st with a time of 18:58, and senior Amelie Geoffron came in 29th with a time of 19:24. Senior Chloe Koo came in 40th with a time of 19:37, and junior Rose Vandevelde came in 55th with a time of 20:09.
“Everyone set new personal records on this course, showing that everyone gave it their all,” Byrne said. “[We] have been wanting to achieve this goal for the past four years, so to see it all come together so well with all of the hard work and sacrifices we have made is really incredible.”
The boys’ team secured an impressive second place overall in Division III, marking their strongest showing since their CIF Championship win in 1930. Their performance on Saturday qualified them for State Championship for the first time since 2021. Sophomore Michael Scarince led the team in ninth place with a time of 15:36, and senior Noah Aldana followed in 16th with a time of 15:46. Senior Adam Ruiz came in 26th with a time of 16:03, and junior Dylan Shugg followed in 32nd with a time of 16:05. Senior Ethan Kung came in 49th and junior Kai Tilley followed closely behind in 50th, both finishing with a time of 16:24. Senior Adam Elsayed rounded out the top seven Tigers in 82nd with a time of 16:58.
“We all came into this race focused and ready to compete,” Errington said. “We’re really looking forward to State and having another opportunity to go for gold.”
The Tigers are looking forward to State Championships on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Woodward Park in Fresno. The girls’ team will race at 10:30 a.m. and the boys’ team will race at 12 p.m.
