For the first time in school and community record, both of the St. Joseph High School cross country teams have earned the right to race in the highest level of competition for the high school sport, the California State Championship meet. Coach Luis Escobar said both of the teams raced against 16 other teams for the qualifying meet.
“This team is exactly what any coach would want,” Escobar said. “It’s been a great experience watching them come together as a team and mature.”
Escobar, who has been a runner and cross country coach for 13 years, said this is the most unique group he has ever mentored because of their athleticism and the commitment to academics. For the third season in a row, both cross country teams maintained the highest team GPA for all fall sports.
“I think they set a good example within the community and are the kinds of kids others should aspire to,” Escobar said.
The boys’ team includes brothers Joaquin and Joseph Castellanos, Kevin Gruden, Wyatt Gilman, Andrew Hawkes, Eli Malfo, Derek Martino, and Kris Rau. The girls’ team includes Taylor Costa, Kaileen Gruden, Bailey Burnin, Kiana Kawatachi, Brianna Murphy, Beth Rigali, and Sidnee Sharer.
Sophomore Gilman said the key to success for this team has been an environment of encouragement and support.
Both Gilman and senior Beth Rigali talked about their academics; many of the athletes are in honors-level classes and are also involved in a variety of clubs and organizations on campus.
“We all value our education above all and the coaches encourage our commitment to school,” Rigali said. “Ultimately, our grades will take us farther than anything we can accomplish on the course—you can’t run without intelligence.”
After a stellar season, the Knights finished the year solidly at the state competition in Fresno. The girls’ team finished with a 12th place ranking out of 22 teams. Rigali finished in 14th place and fellow senior Kiana Kawatachi finished in the top 40. The boys finished with an 11th place ranking out of 24 teams, with Andrew Hawkes in the top 30 and Joaquin Castellanos in the top 50. The race featured teams from all over California with more than 100 runners per race.
