The cross country runners of KSM made strides this afternoon at the Baldwin Invitational placing in boys varsity, girls junior varsity and girls varsity.

Although the team faced some adversity like missing captains and scorching heat, they were able to pull through.

Senior Alex Guerrero said, “Our team is so close. We’re always pushing each other to be better, and it makes a  big difference when someone’s missing.”

Guerrero placed ninth among the top ten for boys varsity. At this meet, he cut a minute off his time and reached a new personal best at 19:38. Guerrero attributes his win to his new shoes and taking his coach’s advice to heart.

Sophomore Kiana Sniffen placed seventh in girls varsity. She was excited to have so much support from her team and family.

“This is the first meet my parents came to, and their cheering really motivated me,” Sniffen said. She said she was surprised she did so well after just recovering from a cold and injuring her arches.

Sophomore Rachel Smith placed fifth in junior varsity, and the girls varsity placed second overall.

Head coach Mr. Jon Svenson was proud of the runners and hopes to see them improve even more.

“We’ve been practicing really hard. We’re working in more hills and expecting faster times,” Mr. Svenson said.

He specifically noted the progress of sophomore Leimana Hasset, who cut two minutes from her time, and junior Amber Kama, who cut her time down by seven minutes.

This is the first time in the season that KSM has had runners place. The team has already begun to train for the MIL states, which, this season, will be taking place on Maui in four weeks.