For the first time in three years, the Eleanor Roosevelt men’s cross country team advanced to CIF finals! The spot was secured this past Saturday on the world-famous Mt Sac college course, which is known for its intimidating hills and fast times, as the Mustangs secured the fourth place spot in division one heat two.

This is the team’s first CIF finals appearance since 2021, and their second appearance under head coach David Cummings shares,

“I think that the 2024 Men’s Cross Country team and we knew all along that it was going to be a LONG season, and I believe that we kept the energy and momentum going throughout the early parts of the season.” remarked Coach Cummings. “… and I’m excited to see the boys throw down another time.”

We had one of their strongest seasons to date, which included winning Mt. Carmel invite, a major San Diego meet, and placing third in the league, falling short of beating Santiago High by a mere two points.

Because of the performance at the CIF prelims, the season remains alive and rolling. When asked what he thought about the prelims race, varsity cross country senior Daniel Brown responded,

“I think it’s what we were working for and we got it and I’m pretty sure we are all satisfied with it.”

As a part of this CIF squad myself, I knew that our chances to advance as a team were good, but it would still be a battle with strong teams like Yucaipa and Rancho Cucamonga. The team ran hard, including a strong performance by freshman Landon Leal, who ran on the varsity squad for the first time this season. Me and the team are now prepping for Saturday, where we will take on 15 other division one teams once again on the Mt Sac course.