Photos by Alex Furuya
The Aragon cross country team, coming off an excellent season last year, is preparing for a new season. Last year’s boys cross country team went to the state championship. The Lady Dons also finished strong, with a solid sixth in the Central Coast Section (CCS) finals.
Coach Bill Daskarolis says, “We graduated a lot of seniors, and we’re starting from a younger level this year. We have several freshmen who we think will contribute, but we won’t be as strong as we were last year.”
Sophomore Ryan McAuliffe ran with five seniors at state championships last year. He was the only non-senior to compete. He says, “We got a couple freshmen and some other younger kids working hard that will definitely make a difference.”
Junior Oma Skyrus thinks this year’s team has potential. She adds, “We have lost a few seniors, but we have some people that can step it up, and we could be really good this year.”
Senior Matt Lanthier thinks that there will still be strong leadership with the team this year. He says, “We definitely have some seniors that will step up and take charge of the team.”
McAuliffe agrees, saying, “Not only seniors need to take charge, but juniors and underclassmen need to step it up, too.”
The returning runners will try to set good examples for the freshmen. “We put in 100 percent every day,” adds Lanthier. “It shows the freshmen to give all their effort for the good of the team.”
“I try to be a good example for the younger runners,” says Skyrus. “I take care of my body while still being athletic.”
The Dons will have to match up against the traditional powerhouses of the 17-team league, the second largest in the entire Central Coast Section. Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont are the strongest teams in the very competitve league.
The team does different variations of practice, depending on the day. Skyrus says, “Twice a week we do track workouts, and twice a week we do off campus runs to build endurance. Once a week we do hill sets to work on strength, and we have one run day on the weekend to keep up because we don’t want to lose what we’ve built up over the week.”
Daskarolis adds, “We run a weight training program throughout the season for upper body and leg training. We lift lighter weights to build strength and not heavier weights to build bulk like football.”
The Dons also have very good team chemistry. Although the runners run individually, they work hard to keep the team close. Lanthier says, “We do team bonding events, and on our long runs we’ll sing and have random conversations and have a great time.”
McAuliffe adds, “The workouts are not fun, but we have to get it done, and we suffer together.”
Their next meet is on Saturday, Sept. 14. They will be participating in the Lowell Invitational at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
