Anyone can participate in our DHS cross country team; as it’s a sport anyone can try out for, you don’t need to be fast or athletic to join. Cross country helps to build better endurance and, most importantly, relieve stress, which can be a great outlet for many of our students. The season officially started on September 6, 2024, with the Central Valley Classic Meet at Woodward Park, CA. Each JV/Varsity boys and girls main event was the 3000-meter race. 

In the girls varsity race, Gisele Duarte was the only racer representing Dinuba. She placed 22nd out of 105 racers, achieving a time of 13:38.19. In the varsity boys race, our top three runners were Jordan Harp with a time of 10:48.57, Felipe Suarez with a time of 10:55.50, and Marcus Carillo with a time of 10:56.59. All seven runners helped us place eighth out of twentieth in team scores. Then, in the JV girls race, the top runner was Mia Valdez with a time of 15:56.81. Finally, in the JV boys race, the top runner was Azael Solorio with a time of 12:51.0. 

On September 13th, the second meet was the Sanger Invitational held at Avocado Lake. It was another 3000-meter race. The meet began with the Frosh/Soph girls, Gisele Durante and Mia Valdez, making the top 15, both of them winning medals. Gisele Durante placed second with a time of 12:44.91 and Mia Valdez placed eighth with a time of 14:13.96. Then, in the JV boys, Azael Solorio placed eighth to win a medal; he had a time of 11:50.32. The rest of the Frosh/JV/Varsity teams performed well in their events. 

Coach Sandoval and Coach Ozzy stated, “We did really well for our first meets.” Both state that a key factor in continuing the success for the athletes is to be consistent and show up to practice. Coach Sandoval emphasizes, “Practice is where you get improvements.” Furthermore, the coaches are proud overall of what the team has shown that they’re capable of so far this season.