Berkeley High Cross Country Prepares To Run Over Competition
The Berkeley High cross country team is preparing for a banner. The team returns many veterans along with an influx of spectacular young runners. “We have a really strong freshman team,” senior varsity runner Carter Tong explains. That new talent was on display during the first race of the season at the Ed Sias invitational in Martinez on September 11. It was the only two-mile race of the season, and the conditions were extremely difficult to run in. The freshman team finished second in their race, which was the best finish of any Berkeley High team in the last two years. “The freshman raced lights out.” Head Coach Brian Bort said, summing up his team’s performance. “The overall performance was ahead of schedule for this point in the season and we identified some things we need to work on.”
Senior Eugenio Geiken finished ninth in the large school varsity division and led the squad to a strong twelfth place finish. Despite Geiken’s honorable finish, he admitted he could have raced better. “Personally, the last race wasn’t great.” he explained. “I felt I could’ve pushed it in the uphill. But finishing in the top ten is good; 10:44 for two miles is not too shabby.” He also was very proud of the way his teammates ran, adding, “Carter Tong, Michaelangelo Roulet and Richard Raya proved themselves worthy of a varsity spot.” This year’s cross country team has 92 runners on the roster, making it one of the biggest cross country teams in Berkeley High School history. Coach Bort says the team size is “gratifying” but that the numbers are irrelevant compared to the quality of the atmosphere and the production of the athletes. Not only is it one of the largest groups of runners in Jacket history, but it’s also one of the most talented. “I think we will likely have the fastest girls team in Berkeley High history,” Bort predicted. “The guys will have to run their brains out to keep up with them in the medals, but they have a shot too.”
The team is also incredibly well-conditioned and prepared. Runners have to put in numerous hours during practice and conditioning to prepare for the season. During the summer, the team participated in a running program five days a week at Martin Luther King Middle School and also had a summer camp at Echo Lake for runners. “The training gives us a lot of mileage, so that we don’t have to get in shape during the season,” says Tong. Bort praised the summer workouts, saying, “Our summer preparation was great.” He adds, “Some of the kids dramatically changed the speed at which they train.” He also explained that the summer camp at Echo was a “big step”, as runners spent a full week training in the mountains. Coach Bort continued, “The summer workouts allowed our runners to get a better sense of their team and what they could do as a group.”
This season holds a lot of promise for the Jackets, as they are looking to compete not just in the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League (ACCAL) championships, but also in the North Coast Section finals (NCS). Coach Bort believes this team is definitely capable of doing so. “The atmosphere of the team this year is exciting.” “It seems we have twelve to fifteen guys and ten to twelve girls that are ready to take the next step. When you start to see kids thinking like that, you know you’re starting to get somewhere as a team.”
The cross country team this year is tight knit, and has developed excellent chemistry. Everyone on the team knows each other well and they all have become very close. “We have a better, more organized team this year,” explains Geiken. “We have a bunch of really cool people to contribute to the fun atmosphere of it all.” “The people who come out for this sport are the best and brightest kids at BHS.” Varsity runner Francesca Decristofaro adds with a smile, “The friends I’ve made on this team are completely priceless.”
The next race is September 25, when the varsity boys will race at the Stanford invitational, while the varsity girls and both junior varsity teams will race at the Farmers invitational in Hayward on the NCS course. Those are the first of five more races the team has before league finals on November 5. They will have to not only prepare physically, but perhaps more importantly, prepare mentally. “The key to the season is mental toughness,” Geiken explains. “Without mental toughness, you can’t function as a unit.” Bort reiterated Geiken’s comments, saying that the sport is in many respects a “mind game” and that it’s about “how much pain you are willing to take.”
Decristofaro summed up the team’s mindset, stating that, “Coming [to practice] everyday and trying your hardest is what cross country is all about. You can’t become great if you never push yourself. So everyone really needs to give the team everything they have got!”
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