Janelle Pantilon, Staff Writer
On November 11th, 2023, eleven varsity runners raced their way through the CIF Central Coast Section Championships, similarly known as CCS at Crystal Springs course in Belmont.
At PAL Championships, a week prior, four varsity boys: Kevin Ren (10), Kaden Ren (10), Kyle Venook (9), and David Eberspactcher (9) placed in the top half of the race, advancing to CCS. Followed by the varsity girls team: Jackie Pan (12), Alyssa Draheim (12), Katie Yee (11), Miya Cheng (11), Chloe Amayun (10), Janelle Pantilon (10), and Alexa Dunn (9) who took a fifth place standing among the seven schools who would further continue on.
These young athletes have made lots of noise from the successes throughout their season. Freshman, Kyle Venook recalled the meet being great as he ran well alongside teammate David Eberspactcher (9): “We stuck together and if one of us fell back then the other sped up. We just pushed each other.”
Eberspactcher built on how, “It was nice but it also felt weird running with seniors and people much older and bigger than us.”
That concluded their third run of the season at Crystal Springs yet to run it again the following week at CCS Championships. The moment was significant for the girls because just last year, current seniors Alyssa Draheim and Jackie Pan were the only two lady vikings to attend. For the boys, while they did not make it as a team, they were close, merely one runner short from qualifying as one.
Leading up to CCS, the team continued to work hard and remain conditioned. On meet day, while the rest of the runners’ seasons were over and they were not required to go, a number came along with their parents in support. Fellow runner Jocelyn Kwan (10) expressed the importance of being there for her teammates: “That day I skipped an extra credit opportunity [for school] because the cross country team is like my family,” adding, “it makes me happy to watch them and be there for support.”
Varsity boys ran first and although for a few, they felt it wasn’t their best race day, the day’s spirits were still high. There was an elevated level of competition in the race, with a little over a hundred notable runners from division four’s best teams.
The girls ran next and it was a whirlwind. With a little under a hundred participants, the competition was fast and Mills had to push through, running in the same division as high-level schools such as last year’s CCS champions, Scotts Valley. There were a few bumps and similar to the boys, some of the girls didn’t feel their a-game. However that did not stop them, as leading runner Jackie Pan finished third overall, followed by Chloe Amayun in thirteenth place, Katie Yee in twenty-sixth, and the remaining four trailing close behind.
Miya Cheng (11) reflected on her run and spoke how, “At that moment I wasn’t feeling really well. My performance is really affected by my mental state which I think many cross country runners face.” Undoubtedly, every athlete has endured the strain created from an afflicted headspace.
All aside, scores were tallied and results were posted, Mills ranked third, following Scotts Valley and Carmel. At that moment, their goals to state came true! This is the first full girls team to go to state in five years since 2018. The energy was ecstatic as congratulations and pride filled the air. “It is not only a wonderful feeling but an honor to see a group of athletes reach their goal that was set at the beginning of summer workouts,” beamed head coach, Larry Cappel.
He continued, “The varsity girls have done fabulous. They are only the 4th team in Mills history to reach the State meet.”
The abundance of excitement toward this meet was heartening. The team’s hard work and efforts brought them to the state level, such a way to spend their Thanksgiving weekend in Fresno and close their season. Going to state will forever be a memorable time for each runner. In hopes of becoming an annual occasion for both groups Coach Larry concluded, “We have a wonderful group who are passionate about their running and know what it takes to build a winning team. As I said earlier, it is really an honor to be lucky enough to be a part of their legacy that was forged by Jackie Pan and Alyssa Draheim over the past three years.”
