“The voice inside your head that says you can’t do this is a liar.” — Unknown
Northwood Cross Country — Weekend Meets Recap
Northwood had a very productive weekend, with strong individual performances, a large number of personal bests, and encouraging depth across all of our races. The results showed a team that continues to improve and, importantly, a group of athletes who are responding well to the work we have been putting in at practice.
SADDLEBACK CUP
The Boys Varsity squad had an outstanding day, with all eight athletes recording personal bests. Xander Mak led the way with a 10:01.2, followed closely by Ryan Jo at 10:08.9 and Anderson Mei at 10:17.2. Wesley Parker ran 10:19.8, while Raychih Hsiao rounded out the top five in 10:24.7. David Cho (10:36.7), Bryan Huang (10:50.2), and Michael Tian (11:07.3) also delivered PB performances. The depth of this group is particularly encouraging. Our first five runners were separated by only 23.5 seconds, giving us a strong, competitive pack at the front. With every varsity athlete posting a PB, this was one of the most encouraging performances of the early season.
The Girls Varsity team was led by freshman Olivia Wang, who ran 11:58.9. Zara Commissariat followed with a personal best of 12:47.3, while Ariana Sharma ran 12:55.6. Mengxuan Li also recorded a PB in 12:57.6, followed by newcomer Audrey Ma at 13:05.3. A major positive was the growing strength of the middle of our lineup. Having multiple athletes clustered around the 12:45–13:10 range gives us a foundation to build on as the season progresses.
Our freshman boys also had a very strong showing. Colin Huynh led the group with an impressive 10:44.6, followed by Aman Patil at 11:17.3 and freshman Riyansh Chandupatia at 11:27.3. Freshmen Caleb Davidson (11:45.4) and Emerson Kim (11:53.7) both broke the 12-minute mark, while Evan Chan ran 12:47.3. This group gives us plenty to be excited about for the future. Seeing our younger athletes already competing at these times is a great sign for the continued growth of the program.
PAT HADLEY MEMORIAL INVITE
Harris Dai led the way with an excellent 17:01.5, followed closely by Parker Nies and Jeremy Kang, giving the team three runners under 17:40. The senior boys showed strong front-end depth and demonstrated the value of racing together and competing through the finish. A special shout-out to Gavin Connell for breaking 19 minutes and to Jared Jose for continuing to battle and contribute to the team.
Maia Murthy led the girls with an outstanding 20:45.9, putting together a strong performance at the front of the team. Braelynn Lynch followed with a solid 22:07.0, while Charlotte Collins-William and Kasia Lien both finished in the 23-minute range. The girls also received important contributions from Shae Muldoon, Alyssa Tam, and Hannah Bae, showing good depth throughout the lineup.
Coach’s Take
The most encouraging aspect of this weekend's performance is the amount of year-over-year development.
When we compare this year's returning athletes to their performances at Saddleback Cup last season, the progress is substantial. We saw athletes improve by more than a minute, several by well over a minute. On the boys varsity side, every returning athlete improved, and our top five are now packed within 23.5 seconds of one another. That kind of depth and compression is exactly what we want to see early in the season. The girls and JV groups are showing the same overall trend: athletes are moving forward, establishing new personal bests, and closing the gaps within their groups. The goal now is to turn this early-season improvement into stronger pack racing, continued development, and competitive performances as we move toward the championship portion of the season. There is still a lot of work ahead, but this meet gave us plenty of reasons to be excited about where this team is headed.
🏆 Athletes of the Meet
This week’s Athletes of the Meet honors go to two outstanding freshmen, Olivia Wang and Colin Huynh. Both athletes have put together impressive summers, and for ninth graders, what they are accomplishing already is extremely encouraging. Olivia Wang continues to emerge as one of Northwood’s most exciting young runners. She has been shining in practice and carrying that confidence into competition, steadily establishing herself as a runner to watch within the Timberwolves program. At the Saddleback Cup, Olivia ran an impressive 11:58.9, finishing as Northwood’s top girls runner. Even more impressive, her performance ranks as the 16th-fastest freshman time in Saddleback Cup meet history. The most exciting race of the weekend belonged to freshman Colin Huynh. Colin delivered a tremendous final 200 meters, unleashing an incredible kick to pull away and WIN the Boys Freshman race in a remarkable 10:44.6. His finish had the Northwood crowd going crazy as he charged down the final stretch and crossed the line with an unforgettable performance. That time also makes Colin the fastest ninth grader in Northwood High School meet history—a remarkable accomplishment this early in his high school career. That final 200 meters was exactly the kind of exciting racing that makes cross country special, and the entire Timberwolf community got to enjoy it. Olivia and Colin have already shown tremendous promise this summer, and their performances at Saddleback are another exciting step in their development. We can't wait to see what these two young Timberwolves accomplish as their high school careers get underway.
This week we will have a full week of training to prepare for the big event at the Great Park Sept 18/19. Saturday will be a workout for all athletes and we may a few athletes race too. Stay tuned!! EXPECTED AFTERNOON HEAT THIS WEEK AGAIN SO A FEW DAYS OF PRACTICE HAVE BEEN MOVED TO THE MORNING TIME!!
