Last year the La Mirada Cross Country team got a new coach, Coach Noah Flores and this year, a new girls coach, Coach Monica. This year they split up the girls and boys team to train them differently to see if it makes a difference in their times. 

Fourth year Varsity runner, Sofia Alonso explained that before any race she, “Mentally takes time to myself, to pray to God, bond with my girls before the race, ask God to give us strength, to race well and focus on ourselves, to prevent any injuries from happening. I also take time to see my family before every race.” Like other seniors, the feeling of running their last race was sentimental as they ran not only for the team, but to leave their mark before graduating this Spring. On Friday, October 4 at Ranchos Palos Verdes, several runners medaled individually whilst rocking pink for breast cancer awareness. Michael Cuevas, Tristan Lopez, Hiro Morita, Ryan Diaz, Tyler Le, and Isaiah Garcia all earned a medal. Amanda Palomino, Zoe Chang , Sofia Alonso, Alana Marin, Lauren Gutierrez, Zoey Santiago medaled for the Girls team. Head Coach Flores for the boys was able to race through the course, given how it’s considered a course set for college students. The meet overall is a great opportunity for the runners as it gets closer to the end of the season. The Cross Country team races at Mt. SAC this weekend and CIF qualifiers will be announced the following week.