Cathedral Catholic’s boys’ and girls’ varsity cross country teams delivered dominant performances Tuesday, October 13, at Morley Field, with both squads capturing first place at the Western League Cluster meet. Competing in a 3.1-mile race against five other City Conference teams, the Dons demonstrated their depth and ability, securing two impressive league victories.

Boys Cross Country

The boys’ team claimed first place with 42 points, finishing ahead of second-place Patrick Henry, which scored 62. The Dons set the tone early, earning the top two individual finishes. Lukas Derheimer took first with 16:03.1, and Caleb Reid followed closely in second with 16:18.1. Lukas, Caleb, and Quinn McGivern posted personal-best times on the 3.1-mile course.

Makana Gibbons finished 11th with 17:05.6, followed by Conner Ransom in 13th with 17:09.6 and McGivern in 15th with 17:11.0. Gianluca Corona (24th, 17:40.9) and Eduardo Flores (29th, 17:58.0) rounded out the Dons’ top seven.

Girls Cross Country

The girls’ team was equally impressive, scoring just 22 points to secure first place, ahead of second-place Scripps Ranch, which finished with 52. The Dons placed seven runners in the top 11, an overwhelmingly dominant showing. The team’s performance showed continued improvement, with 10 of the 12 varsity runners posting season-best or personal-best times.

Grace Keefe led again, claiming her fifth first-place finish of the season with 18:18.0 and beating the next-fastest runner by 40 seconds. Callie Schulteis finished third with 19:00.4, followed by Kristine Bickler in fourth with 19:10.3. Eva Smith placed sixth with 19:31.9, and Phoebe Brink finished eighth with 19:43.6. Sienna Struyck (10th, 20:05.9) and Bridget Kruszewski (11th, 20:07.7) completed the Dons’ top seven.

Next up: The Dons will test their mettle at the 78th Annual Mt. SAC Invitation on Friday, October 23rd, competing against the state’s best in the premier fall event.