Cross Country participated in the Orange County Championships on Oct. 13 at Oak Canyon Park near Irvine Lake with the freshmen and sophomore girls both placing second in their respective divisions and freshmen boys placing fourth out of 21 schools. 3,500 runners from all over the county were there to represent their schools and show progress that had been made throughout the season.

In the championships, participants had to run a rigorous three-mile course consisting of steep, long uphills and uneven grounds. Although there were hardships during the race, runners were able to push through and bring back numerous awards for their achievements.

“I think it was really successful because I can tell that every one of my athletes gave it their best effort, and for me, that is success. It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says,” head coach Victor Quiros said.

The Bulldogs displayed perseverance throughout the race, and the results were remarkable. Freshmen and sophomore girls received trophies, and a handful of students received medals for placing within the top 40 runners in their division.

“I was pretty satisfied on how I did… even though I felt a little bit nervous,” sophomore Xian Lun Zeng said.

The Bulldogs put in a lot of effort preparing for this meet. Practices were exhausting, but the students were determined to work harder every day. Their passionate work ethic helped them overcome a lot of obstacles they faced.

“Sometimes, [practices] almost felt impossible, but I could still do it,” Zeng said.

Cross country requires a significant amount of endurance, but over the course of the season  students realized what their limits were and learned how to push beyond them.

“[Cross country] means a lot [to me] because I’ve been running for like two years now… being on a high school cross country team is a totally different experience than club running,” freshman Nadia Aboukhadijeh said.