The Middle School cross country team picked a great time to run their best. At the HJPC conference championship, the team earned 4 medals, which was a season high, and set more personal records than at any other meet this season. These accomplishments are a testament to their hard work, determination, and commitment to improving. Among the 4 medalists were: Derin S, Elisabeth S, Maria S, and Nelly B. These 4 runners finished top 10 in their district for their division. We would also like to thank our 8th grade runners for an outstanding middle school career. We will miss you, but look forward to seeing all of your accomplishments when you transition to the high school team. Great season and Go Vikings!

The middle school cross country team is entering the bulk of their schedule this week. The Vikings compete on Wednesday, September 28th at the AOS Dolphin Dash and again on Friday at Houston Christian. The Vikings have had 2 meets already in their season and ran at 1.5 and 2 miles respectively at those meets. The team is preparing each and every practice to extend their runs, while making the team comfortable running at faster paces as well. With 5 meets remaining over the course of the next 3 weeks, the Vikings hope to hit their stride at just the right time. Good luck to all of our middle school runners this week and for the rest of your season. Go Vikings!

Midway through the cross country season, the Viking harriers are beginning to hit their stride. Having survived 5:30 am practices and running mileage most have never done before, everyone’s meet times have come down and are poised to get much faster. Highlights have been a first place finish for Boys Varsity at the Lutheran South Invitational as well as Alex A-E and Doris M taking individual honors there. As we move to the second half of the season, Charlotte S will be back in the lineup to bolster the Girls Varsity team. A dozen boys are now in contention for the coveted 7 Varsity spots that will represent Village at Districts and State. The next 5 weeks will prove to be very exciting!

On Saturday, September 10th, the high school Cross Country team competed in the Lutheran South Invitational. It was their second meet of the year, and one that featured a number of teams from varying TAPPS classifications. The boy’s Varsity dominated the race, finishing in first place while capturing 4 of the top 9 spots. Among those finishers was Alex A-E, who came in 1st place overall with a time of 17:06.0. Eduardo G, Kaushal P, and Marco S were also in the top 10 overall. This was a historic achievement as it marked the first Village High School’s first meet win ever. Coach Mastro was incredibly proud of his team and all of the hard work they have put in so far this year. Once it was realized the team had won, Coach Mastro was jumping around yelling, “we’re getting hardware, we’re getting hardware!” Coach Mastro later went on to say, “This was important for me. Not simply because I enjoy winning, but because I know the sacrifices made by the parents, student-athletes, dorm parents, and coaches are large. So I want to take this time to thank everyone for the efforts they have been putting in and to recognize some accomplishments and individual improvements that have occurred in a very short period of time.”

“First, congratulations to Doris M and Alex A-E for winning their respective Varsity races yesterday. Other Varsity medalists were Eduardo G (3rd), Kaushal P (8th), Marco S (9th), and Mack H (20th). Lance V earned a 6th place medal in the Boys JV race. Congrats to all medalists.

Regarding notable improvements(there are many but these standout) and in no particular order:
1: Max S took two full minutes off of his 2 Mile time from last week.
2: Manasi R took 48 seconds of her 2 Mile time last week.
3: Reuben W took almost a full minute off of his 2 Mile time from last week.
4: Chris B took 43 seconds off of his 2 Mile time.
5: Mack H has slashed over 2 minutes off of his 2 Mile time vs last year at this time.

The high school Cross County team is back at it again this weekend as they compete in the 2nd Baptist Soaring Eagle Invitational. The meet starts at 8:00 AM at the 2nd Baptist West Campus. Good luck to all of our runners and keep up the great work!

Go Vikings!

After the first 2 weeks of unfortunate weather, the middle school cross country team has had better luck lately and practices have started to ramp up. The team, coached by Matt Mouro, Meridith Dyer, and Nick Petito, is set to start their season on Saturday, September 10th, as they compete in the Lutheran South Invitational. This particular meet is a 1.5 mile event, which is shorter than most of the other meets the Vikings have on their schedule. The Vikings should be well-prepared, often running twice that amount at each of their practices. Coach Mouro is happy with the direction of the team, their attitude, and work ethic. Stay tuned for more updates from the middle school cross country program as their season progresses.