Davis High’s varsity cross-country teams competed in a demanding three-mile race at the Lagoon Valley Classic on Saturday, August 31.
The course in Lagoon Valley Park, Vacaville, features the daunting hill, “Big Mama.” Its climb begins fairly level and transitions to a steep incline. “When you’re looking up, it looks almost straight up,” junior Zev Fox said.
Fox was the first to cross the finish line for Davis, earning 11th place in the varsity boys division. His 16 minutes and 24.6 seconds run was followed by a time of 16.30.3 for senior Samuel Green, who earned 14th place.
Despite stellar times from their first two finishers, Davis earned 4th place in the varsity boys division, following Vacaville, McClatchy, and Amador Valley.
The DHS varsity women secured a gold medal with three top-10 finishers: sophomore Norah Feldt, junior Avery Wolk, and sophomore Lilian Hales-Yang.
Feldt finished in second place with a time of 18.51.0, and Wolk wasn’t far behind at 19.13.7.
The team started official practices only two weeks before the meet, although many runners, including Feldt, had continued training through their summer.
“There's no questioning [Feldt’s] work ethic. She does all the work and maybe more that needs to be done to be successful,” head coach Bill Gregg said.
With multiple exceptional runners, the team is hopeful for their upcoming meet this weekend.
“We're only gonna get better from here on. We've got plenty of new guys who ran freshman and JV who are going to be on varsity soon,” Fox said, “I think we’re definitely in position to win sections this year.”