The Los Altos High girls finished seventh and the boys 15th at the state cross-country championships held in Fresno Saturday, capping off another excellent season for the young squad.
“Overall, it was good,” Los Altos head coach Steph MacKenzie said. “Like most meets, it was a mixed day. We had some people have really good days, and other people had a tough day, but that’s how it goes.”
For the girls, senior Jasleen Sidhu finished 18th with a time of 18 minutes, 19 seconds. Sidhu, an Air Force Academy commit and team leader, finished 21st in the state playoffs last year but ran significantly faster this year in a deeper field. Los Altos ran the 3.1-mile course at Woodward Park in the rugged Division II. Junior Emily Soobrian finished in a time of 18:42 and placed 33rd, while junior Axelle Allanic had a time of 19:23. MacKenzie said Allanic, a junior, had taken a minute and a half off her time just within the year and was initially expected to be the ninth or 10th runner at the start of the season.
“We had some injuries that moved her into a top-seven position, but we did not think she would be scoring for us,” MacKenzie said of Allanic. “She had a great day. She got a big (personal record) and finished third for our team.”
The team was without Samantha Patel and Lydia Anderson due to injuries but still finished seventh, thanks to strong depth. Only three runners had been at the state meet before, and they learned that handling the race involves running the first mile as quickly as possible to avoid getting caught in the back.
“They had an excellent season overall,” MacKenzie said.
The Los Altos boys finished 15th out of 26, with sophomore Sam Hurst getting the best time for Los Altos in 16:12, while Sreyas Kadiyala finished with 16:15. Taran Davies finished with 16:27 and Alex Halpin 16:37, both personal bests.
The boys surprised many in what was originally expected to be a building year by making the state finals after finishing second in the Central Coast Section meet. The team learned a lot about pacing strategy at the state meet after several of its top runners had a slow start due to the crowding at the beginning of the race. MacKenzie said the emphasis is on getting a solid front position and ensuring you don’t have to work through a crowd.
“A few of our top runners got squished in the back at the start,” she said.
The boys suffered another setback after their No. 2 and 3 runners had to drop out. MacKenzie said their goal next year is to return to state and finish in the top 10.
“Once you get to the state meet at the end of the season when people are sick or tired, you need the depth in the sixth, seventh runners to back up if anything happens,” MacKenzie said. “So, I think that’s what the focus will be next year. We just need to pull a few more up to that level.”
The teams both qualified for the state meet after finishing second at the Nov. 11 CCS finals at Crystal Springs, and both won the El Camino Division at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League finals Oct. 31.
