The 2018 cross country season in the Central Coast Section was certainly an interesting one. Due to the unfortunate fires up north, the result was a less than ideal air quality that caused the CCS office to reschedule their section final multiple times. The section meet was finally held on Sunday which more than likely the first time in section history that the section final was held on the 7th day of the week.
At the state meet, CCS teams had multiple top 10 finishes including the Bellarmine boys in Division I, (7th place) Monta Vista girls in Division I (10th place), St. Francis boys in Division II (5th place), King City boys in Division IV (5th place), Scotts Valley boys in Division IV (7th place), Castilleja girls in Division V (6th place), Nueva girls in Division V (7th place) and the Crystal Springs Uplands School boys in Division V (9th place).
With the multiple top 10 finishes, the section was able to hold to the majority of the automatic qualifying spots for the upcoming season. The one loss was in the Division III girls' division which will now qualify only two teams to state.
Individually, the top CCS runners at state were Carlmont junior Kaimei Gescuk who ran 17:56.3 which placed her 10th in Division I and 23rd overall. For the boys, the fastest CCS runner at state was Palo Alto HS senior Henry Saul who ran 15:15.4 to finish in 9th place in the Division I race and 17th overall.
This coming season, many of the top teams and individuals will have lots of opportunities to battle with their closest competitors. With CCS returning to the Crystal Springs course (iconic course above) this coming season, keep an eye on the Serra Crystal Springs Invitational which will take place on Saturday, October 12th. We could see some great efforts in early October as teams and individuals jockey for position with the hope of section winning efforts as well as potential podium finishes at state.