Through sweat, muscle pains and long hours of running, our Rosary Cross Country team has finally reached their league finals. Held on Nov. 5, 2025, at Irvine Regional Park, our Royals showed up and showed out for their last race. JV started off leading the team by racing at 2 p.m. and varsity raced not long after at 3 p.m. All the girls pushed and did their best in their races. Although not all the teammates were able to race everyone still came out to support the girls running. Overall, Varsity placed 4th and JV placed 2nd.
With support from families and friends and determination while running, senior Belen Santiago placed 8th overall for her varsity race! This accomplishment means she has the opportunity to continue her cross-country journey in CIF prelims at Mount Sac. Belen shares about her love for running by explaining, “I love running cross country! I fell in love with this sport my sophomore year when I joined. My teammates are the nest part; we have bonded so much throughout the years and support each other through the good and bad moments.” Belen is a star on the team and is loved by her teammates. She is a motivated runner who always brings her best to practice and races.
Another accomplishment on the team was Sam Del Pilar ’26 setting a new personal record of 21:45.8. What a great way to finish off her cross-country career! Sam has been a hard worker this season by continuously setting new PRs at every race and pushing herself in practice. She’s a perfect example of a determined Royal who cares for both her sport and her team.
Although the season has come to an end, the cross-country team shared many great experiences this year. They trained tirelessly from July to November and deserve a much-needed break. When asked about her experience on the team, Emilia Cantos ’28 shared, “Cross country is a great experience because not only do you get to push yourself mentally and physically, but you also get to meet new friends and grow close to them over the season.” Sounds like Emilia enjoyed her second year on the team. She also shared that an important part of the sisterhood between the team is the way “we cheer each other on and support and be there for each other.”
With many of the girls on the team graduating this year there was a bittersweet feeling surrounding the team as they raced for the last time together. Many memories were shared between the girls in the past years they have ran together and many more hope to be shared in seasons to come.
