Shannon Cleary

Good job to Oceana’s Cross Country team, JV and Varsity, boys and girls, for doing a fantastic job at their first meet of the season in Half Moon Bay on September 14! Out of 11 teams, the JV boys got 7th place overall. Lastly, congratulations to Lara Flavia Scanziani Grijalvo, a sophomore on the Girls Varsity team, for earning 1st place in the 2.33-mile race, with 14 minutes and 33 seconds, ranking her 1st place out of the WHOLE NATION!

When asked what she likes about Cross Country, Lara conveyed much love for the sport, for it is pretty simple to do and it is something she’s passionate about. “I also like being part of a team, and it’s fun to suffer together in hard workouts,” she stated. In addition, Lara mentioned that she’s looking forward to going to the upcoming meets with her teammates, especially those with whom she’s friends, and becoming a stronger and faster runner in general. She hopes to qualify for the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) State Meet again this season and get a PR (personal record) in each of her races.
For the Cross Country team, only the top 7 boys and the top 7 girls get chosen for Varsity, which is determined by both timed 1-mile runs and other races during practice and how well one does at meets. The rest are in Junior varsity.
Lara mentioned that one potential challenge for the Girls Varsity team would be beating Terra Nova’s Girls Varsity team because the Lady Sharks are currently one place behind the Lady Tigers. In total, however, it looks like the Cross Country team is off to a great start!