Tiger XC places fourth at Mt. SAC

By Jung Su Park

Staff Writer

The South Pasadena Cross Country team missed a day of school and headed over to Mt. San Antonio College on Friday, October 24 to participate in the 67th annual Mt. SAC Invitational. The Tigers showcased an impressive performance as both the Boys’ and Girls’ varsity placed fourth out of nineteen other Division III High Schools, the boys narrowly missing the cut by three points in clinching third overall.

“Fourth place in such a stage like the Mt. SAC Invitational is impressive,” junior Kyle Oda said. “We got the chance to see how mature each individual of the team is, and we gained some momentum heading into league finals.”

Mt. SAC Invitational, sometimes referred to as the “Biggest Cross Country Meet in the World,” attracts over 25,000 runners to it’s winding courses, imposing an extremely competitive atmosphere.

“I felt really intimidated to run against highly skilled runners from various schools at such a competitive level,” freshmen Oliver Chang said. “In the end, participating in this meet was truly a valuable experience as I learned that I must overcome my fear of big stages.”

Coach Patrick McGrail discussed the teams’ focuses in their approach and mentality in Mt. SAC Invitational and future meets to come.

“We just tried to go out there and get accustomed to Mt. SAC’s course as we are running the same course in CIF finals, the meet in which all our efforts throughout the whole season pays off,” McGrail said.

The Tigers’ next meet in schedule is the Rio Hondo League finals on Thursday, November 6 at Lacy Park.