The 2026 cross country season is officially underway! This past Saturday, our team competed in the Bridge XC Challenge with Segerstrom HS, University HS and Woodbridge HS. For many of our athletes, this was their first taste of cross-country racing this season, making it an exciting opportunity to see where our summer training has taken us.

As expected with an early-season race, we saw some surprises—both positive and negative. That is all part of the process. The first race gives us valuable information about where we are today and, more importantly, where we can go from here.

🏆 Runners of the Week

We are excited to recognize Alyssa Tam and Parker Nies as our first Runners of the Week!

Alyssa Tam — 23:44 (Personal Best)
Alyssa made her presence known right from the start. Her strong opening performance reflects the consistency and commitment she put into training over the summer.

Parker Nies — 16:52 (Personal Best)
Parker also delivered a strong season opener, setting the tone with an impressive performance. His summer work is already showing, and we are excited to see what he can accomplish as the season develops.

Congratulations to both Alyssa and Parker 👏

📈 Summer Work Is Paying Off

One of the most exciting parts of the season opener was seeing several returning athletes already surpass their previous 3-mile personal bests. These improvements are a direct reflection of the work our athletes put in throughout the summer.

The biggest breakthrough came from Wesley Parker, who improved his previous best by an impressive 1 minute and 48 seconds. That's a tremendous opening statement and a great example of what consistent training can produce.

These athletes didn't simply race well—they showed measurable growth from where they finished last season. And this is only the first race.

🌟 Standout Performances

We also saw some outstanding performances from our younger athletes.

Our freshmen showed that they are ready to compete. On the girls' side, Olivia Wang (19:21.5), Ariana Sharma (19:59.5), Nora Muldoon (20:25.0), and Giulia Greco (24:10.4) all posted personal bests in their first race.

On the boys' side, Colin Huynh (17:17.3), Riyansh Chandupatia (18:58.0), and Caleb Davidson (19:33.4) also recorded strong personal-best performances.

These early results are exciting because they give us a glimpse of the potential within this freshman group.

🔥 Plenty of Room to Grow

At the same time, we know this is only the beginning. Cross country is a sport where the off-season is crucial to having a successful season, but the work does not stop once racing begins.

We will continue to build fitness, improve race strategy, learn from each competition, and develop as a team. The goal isn't to peak in August—the goal is to keep getting better throughout the season.

The Bridge XC Challenge gave us our first opportunity to race, compete, and learn together. Now we take what we learned and get back to work.

Congratulations to everyone who competed this weekend. Whether you achieved a new personal best, established a season best, experienced your first XC race, or simply learned something about yourself as a competitor—you are now one race deeper into the season.

Let's keep building.

Go Timberwolves! 🐺
COACH MUNIZ

Parents please remember all absences will need to be cleared through the attendance office by a parent. Cross country is a class at NHS and absences are treated like any other course for HS credit.  Practice times will be daily from 6pm to 7:30pm.  If you are going to be part of our team clear off your schedule and make a commitment.

 

GENTLE REMINDER:
WE HAVE MOVED PRACTICE TO 6PM ALL WEEK AT HICKS.  THIS WILL PROVIDE US WITH SOME RELIEF FROM THE AFTERNOON EXTREME HEAT!!!
FRIDAY NIGHT OUR BOYS AND GIRLS TOP 1O WILL RACE AT SILVERLAKES IN THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO MAKE OUR EARLY VARSITY TEAM!!