Running cross country takes a certain mindset. In a grueling three-mile race, the ability to conquer self-doubt and withstand physical fatigue is as important as charging uphill or sprinting to the finish.
With two weeks left in the season, the Malibu boys and girls cross country teams have begun to show steady improvement in all departments.
Two weeks ago at Oak Canyon Community Park in Oak Park, Malibu High competed in the second Tri-Valley League meet of the year. The Lady Sharks took fifth place out of 12 schools competing.
Star junior Caroline Pietrzyk won the race in a time of 18:30, while five other Lady Sharks turned in strong performances. “I think I could have done a little better but you only say that after you finish,” Pietrzyk said. “When you are actually running, you are saying that there is no way I could go faster.”
“She really had a great race,” first-year Malibu coach Shawn Waco added. “She ran a solid pace and kept it really together.”
Sophomore Caitlin Myers finished second for MHS in a time of 22:37 while Farah Stack (23:00) and Sophie Johnson (23:56) each broke 24 minutes. Madeline Ward (24:23) and Emma Gallagher (25:52) ran strong races as well.
Malibu improved after claiming sixth at the first TVL meet of the season back on September 25. Currently, the Lady Sharks are tied with Nordhoff High School in fifth place in the league standings with identical 13-9 records.
Last Saturday at the prestigious 66th annual Mt. San Antonio College Invitational, the entire Malibu team once again competed hard. Pietrzyk turned in another big performance with a personal best to finish runner-up in the Division IV sweepstakes, third in the entire junior class and 14th overall in the California girls’ top 100.
Meanwhile, the Malibu boys replicated their seventh-place finish from the first TVL meet, staking them to an 8-12 record among the league’s 11 schools. But while the team performance has been consistent, the boys’ individual times have steadily improved.
Junior Alec Wilimovsky ran an 18:06 to place in the top 20 for the boys meet. Seniors Dyer Pettijohn and Aiden Pascucci broke the coveted 20-minute goal with times of 19:15 and 19:19, respectively.
Erik Rosenberg (20:04) and Khoi Prakasim (20:16) rounded out the top five for the Sharks. “The boys held together and did well. They are really supportive of each other,” Waco said. “Ideally we are trying to break them up. Some are better uphill, others are better in sprinting, some downhill.
“They stick together and don’t focus on their strongest points. They run well together as a team but they will definitely benefit if they utilize their strengths.”
Malibu will participate next in the Ventura County Championships on Friday and then finish its regular season with the third TVL meet at Lake Casitas on November 7.
Pietrzyk’s season, however, will continue beyond the final league meet as she will compete in the CIF Division IV prelims and hopefully the CIF finals and state meet thereafter.
“I’m just going to try my best on each of the races and see how far it will get me,” Pietrzyk said. “I’m focusing a lot more on my training now and working as hard as I can at practice so that during the meets I’m going as fast as I can possibly go. I just want to improve each and every time.”
