On Wednesday, Nov. 15, Lowell’s cross country team competed against other SFUSD high schools in San Francisco’s All-City cross country championship in Golden Gate Park. As the last event of the cross country season, the All-City 5K race determines which teams and athletes will compete at the state championships. Lowell’s team won first place in boys’ varsity, boys’ frosh-soph, and girls’ JV divisions, with girls’ varsity earning third place.
Sophomore Malcolm Barry-Kao, a member of the boys’ varsity team, felt that increased support from coaches during the race played a role in this achievement. “More than previous years, we had more coaching on the
sidelines, which was helpful,” he said. Freshman Ayumi Stohr, a member of the girls’ varsity team, agreed that coaching, as well as teamwork, helped her succeed. “[The coaches] pushed me to become better, and it helped that almost the entire varsity team was running together,” she said. Mirabel Adams, a junior on girls’ varsity, valued her team’s dedication. “We worked hard as a team the whole time, which definitely helped us improve and succeed,” she said. Cross country coach Andy Leong appreciated the team’s commitment to improvement, despite facing challenges and competition. “The kids did a great job of preparing themselves,” he said. “[Next year] I hope to get a little more consistency and dedication so that we can regain the title that we lost this year.”
“We don’t take it too seriously, and I think that’s the secret. You have to be able to relax when it comes time to perform.”
— Mirza
Senior and boys’ varsity member Griffin Santa felt that a strong sense of community and determination allowed the team to succeed. “There was a lot of competition on the team, but in the races, we all know it’s us versus the other teams, and we just put it all out there,” he said. Boys’ varsity senior Faaris Mirza felt that the team’s approach to the race contributed to their success. “We don’t take it too seriously, and I think that’s the secret,” he said. “You have to be able to relax when it comes time to perform.” Mirza is proud of the team’s performance in the All-City race and the teamwork that helped them succeed. “We finished really well as a team, and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.
