The Everett High cross country team wrapped up its season with a strong showing at the GBL Championships.
Everett had a 6-2 record this season, losing only to Somerville and Medford, so they had high expectations of doing just as well at the league meet while having to race against the best athletes and previous GBL-All Stars.
The team as a whole had much to be proud of this season, including personal records, higher placement in the race, and also having a continuation of being a GBL-All Star. This season, the team was mostly seniors who worked very hard during the normal season to be at their best to race at the GBL Championships, since it would be the last ever championships they would be running for cross country.
Those high expectations were especially true for senior co-captain Lucas Nunez, who has been Everett’s number one runner for the past two years and also has been undefeated all the way up the this league meet. Nunez’s main goal at GBL Championships was to place higher than last year and try to do his best while going against a tough competitor from Medford, Adam Lewis, whom he had not raced against this season and whom he had lost to last year.
Nunez ended up placing 4th place with a time of 17:37, which did live up to his expectations of doing better than last year, where he was 5th. Nunez still became a GBL All-Star as he qualified by being top 10 in the race.
“I honestly did care a lot about the placement of myself, but I cared deeper about how our team did,” Nunez said. “Cross country is a team sport, so being able to cheer for the rest of my teammates and to show support was more exciting and important than how I did individually.”
Senior co-captain Jeremy Whitlow, who is closing out his last cross country season, had expectations for himself as well. Whitlow placed 19th with a time of 19:35.
“I felt nervous because it was cold and the competition we were going up against was good,” Whitlow said. “My goal for this race was to have fun and do better than last year while trying my best since it would be my last time here.”
Even though Everett had a 6-2 record and had beaten Malden at the dual meet this year, Whitlow had some concerns. “Everett losing to Malden at the league meet stood out to me the most because we have beaten them before, but not all days are perfect, so I hope we can get over this loss and work towards beating them this indoor season,” he said.
These GBL Championships results showed a tremendous improvement from last year. In addition to these seniors, other varsity athletes had their first experience with the GBL Championship. Junior Cristopher Portillo ran his first-ever cross country season with past successes in outdoor track. Portillo got 27th place with a time of 20:16.
Senior Wilmer Fuentes, who is also a new addition to the team, ran his first season of cross country and got 34th place with a time of 21:01. “I felt really good and energized to run to my full potential,” Fuentes said. “It was my first time running cross country, and being on Varsity made it so I had to push myself. I think I did really great, and I’m proud of everybody for being able to finish the race and getting the best time they could. It’s hard going all out and performing.”
While previous runners like Junior Carlos Pagan Landeo have been on the team before and wanted to improve from their last year, Pagan Landeo’s goal was to go out and try his hardest.
“The second mile was very challenging and the toughest part of the race, but I had to tell myself to push no matter what because the team relies on me for the team scores,” Pagan Landeo said.“I have run faster times in comparison to previous years and other seasons and seen a lot of improvement for both myself and my teammates. We push each other through the race and try our best as a team.”
Junior Domenico Delle Rose is also another returnee on the team. Delle Rose ran a time of 21:01, placing 33rd. “I felt pretty nervous about going into the GBL Championships and racing,” Delle Rose said. “I definitely had the goal of breaking 21 in the 5K, which I was just shy of achieving. I hope to get faster though from now till track season.”
The Everett Cross Country team supported and cheered for each other throughout the race. “I was very proud of Bryan Lewis, who had to run the varsity race on such little notice when my twin brother Anthony got injured and couldn’t run,” Whitlow said. To add, Senior Bryan Lewis ran a time of 21:32, placing 37th.
STEM teacher Anna Seiders came to the race to help support the team. “I had the privilege of attending the GBL race for cross country, and the camaraderie among the team was unmatched,” Seiders said. “Watching the Everett team cheer not only for each other but also for the other schools was so inspiring! Everyone cheered regardless of team in hopes that each athlete performed their best.”
For the junior varsity athletes, junior Anthoid Khanal showed up for his first-ever championships and raced to his fullest.“Going into the GBL Championships, I was excited,” Khanal said. “It was a new experience for me and was a great way to show that what I had been training for the whole season and the hard work I had put in would pay off. My goal for the race was to achieve a new personal record and to try to get past the mental barrier in the race.”
“Moving forward after GBLs, of course, I hope to beat my personal record, get faster, and become captain, and obviously support my teammates in any way I can,” Khanal said. “Racing may be fun, but the people and the team we race with make it even better. I enjoyed making new friends and having connections with other people”.
In the co-ed JV race, which was a 1.75-mile race rather than a 3.11-mile race (5K) that varsity ran, Khanal ran a time of 11:41 and got 19th place. Senior Dante Gell also ran with a time of 11:25 and a placement of 11th. Junior Raakin Shrestha followed with a time of 11:29 and a placing of 13th. Sophomore Praytush Darai ran a time of 11:38, placing 16th. Junior Micheal Lemus ran a time of 11:56, placing 21st.
New freshman additions to the team, Brasesh Maharjan and Oseas Erazo, had a toe-to-toe finish at the end. Erazo ran a time of 13:32 and got 7th place, while Maharjan ran a time of 13:28 and got 36th place. “I was proud to be able to run at GBL Championships in the JV race. My main goal was to just not get last and do my best,” Maharjan said.
On the girls’ side, senior co- captain Akanksha Neupane ended up not finishing the race due to injuries. Sophomore Shashi Pokhrel ran a time of 26:50 and got 26th place. Nathalia Dos Santos ran a time of 30:01 and got 31st in the girls’ varsity race. Also on the side, but for the co-ed JV race, freshman Lina Serrer ran a time of 15:12 and got 50th place.
“I felt both nervous and happy going into the GBL Championships because it was my last race of the season, so I had the goal to finish with a good time,” Dos Santos said. “I feel that I did achieve that, but the toughest part of the race was definitely the last time, but I pushed myself to keep going even though I was tired because I wanted to achieve my goal.”
“My goal moving forward is to improve and do better, so I can have a good improvement by next year’s season. It is my first year and first season ever running, so I know I can definitely improve so much through hard work and dedication,” Dos Santos said.
These athletes will almost likely run indoor track this coming winter season and achieve new goals and build up the connection. “I’m really glad to have the team I am with,” Khanal said. “This is the best team I could’ve ever asked for, as all my teammates are supportive on the track on and off. Especially, my inspirational captains who never fail to motivate us and push us to our hardest. Even if someone isn’t a captain, they’re still super supportive and make the team into a better one.”
“I have had the pleasure of leading the cross country team this year as a Senior and last year as a Junior as co-captain,” Nunez said. “I not only try to support my teammates but also help them to strive and push for more. It is exciting seeing everyone improve since last year, and I can’t wait for us to continue into the other running seasons and get better and better over time.”
Overall, Everett left the GBL Championships with confidence and a clear sense of progress heading into states and then their indoor track season. Their ability to work together and show support for one another has increased tremendously due to new leadership from the captains.
