Cross country runners qualify for state meet

The Trojans dashed through the Farmers’ fields at the NCS Championship meet at Hayward High School on Nov. 20. Cameron Huynh, Logan Phulps and Jacob Bull qualified for the California Cross Country Championships, where they ran among the state’s top runners. This is the first time since 2017 that CVHS runners have gone all the way to the state meet.

“I couldn’t believe I made it to the state meet. It was insane,” exclaimed Huynh.

The loopy and hilly course at the NCS Championship posed no challenge for the Trojans.  Both boys and girls teams placed fifth overall in Division I of the North Coast Section. 

Huynh, placing 8th, beat her time from the league meet by 24 seconds, running the race in just 19 minutes and 41 seconds. Phulps, who beat his own personal record by 17 seconds, ran it in 16 minutes and 5 seconds and placed 8th place. Bull, right behind Phulps, came in just a second later at 16 minutes and 6 seconds, placing 9th. 

“I was nervous from the anticipation,” recalled Phulps. 

But the Trojans had nothing to be nervous about, sprinting around Fresno’s Woodward Park at the State Championships on Nov. 28. Huynh ran the girls Division I race in just 20 minutes and 38 seconds. Phulps finished the boys Division I race in just 16 minutes 37 seconds, with Bull tailing close behind at 16 minutes and 40 seconds. 

The cross country teams have been running well all season, with the freshman boys and girls teams placing first and second overall respectively at the WACC league meet on Nov. 9. The varsity girls placed third overall in the league, and the varsity boys placed fourth. 

At the WACC meet on Nov. 6, Bull placed 3rd, running the three-mile race in 15 minutes and 57 seconds. Phulps took sixth in 16 minutes and 22 seconds. 

Huynh placed 7th, completing the course in 20 minutes and 5 seconds. Sophomore runner Allison Mitchell tailed Huynh, coming in 8th place at 20 minutes and 19 seconds. 

Phulps’ advice for aspiring runners: “Stay focused on it. If you stick with it, you’ll realize that you’ve moved up a category.” A senior, he plans to continue running in college.

It has definitely been an exhilarating season for the Trojans in cross country.