GALT, CA (MPG) – The Liberty Ranch Hawks Cross Country team competed in its first Sierra Valley Conference league meet of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Folsom Lake College, with several athletes achieving personal records against strong Division 4 and 5 competition.

The Hawks’ Boys Frosh/Soph squad demonstrated impressive depth in the 2.2-mile race, with all five scoring runners posting personal records. Sophomore Matthew Lara led the way with a seventh-place finish, clocking a PR of 13:09.53. Fellow sophomore Jayson Marmolejo followed in 15th place with a personal best of 13:42.16.

Freshman Gunnar Rohner continued the Hawks’ strong showing with a 23rd-place finish in 14:09.37, while sophomore Kyvin Vang secured 29th place in 15:03.07. Sophomore Harrison Leipelt rounded out the scoring with a 46th-place finish in 22:25.69, with all five athletes earning personal records in the competitive field.

In the Girls Frosh/Soph 2.2-mile race, the Hawks were led by freshman Natalie Ochoa, who posted a personal record of 16:53.90 for 12th place. Freshman Kaylee Oltmanns followed with another PR performance, finishing 21st in 18:23.28. Sophomore Giselle Escalera completed the Hawks’ scoring with a 29th-place finish and personal best of 20:38.61.

The Girls Varsity team competed in the challenging 5K distance, with senior Gwen Lindberg leading the Hawks with a 22nd-place finish in 25:31.88. Senior Kaydince Silva followed closely behind, securing 24th place with a time of 26:12.41.

In the Boys Varsity 5K race, senior Silas Sanders paced the Hawks with a 46th-place finish, recording a time of 22:43.57. Junior Tristen Reeve followed in 62nd place with a personal record of 26:37.11, while senior Calum McAllister completed the Hawks’ effort with a 66th-place finish in 31:17.62.

“Like Hawks, we may be small, but we soar higher every race: always stronger, always faster, always improving,” said head coach MarQuan De Bise. “I am encouraged by the weekly improvement I see in the team, especially the younger new runners.”

The abundance of personal records across multiple races highlighted the Hawks’ commitment to improvement, with the underclassmen showing particular promise as they continue to develop in the competitive SVC landscape.

The Hawks looked to build on this momentum when they returned to action on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Foothill High School in Sacramento.