This article is part of a series focused on this year’s motto of Unum: Engage, which highlights how students engage as one in different groups across campus. 

The Cathedral Catholic Boys Cross Country team is ranked first in San Diego County. Led by junior captains Theodore Lang, Andrew Martinez, and Nathan Wilber, the boys have been training since the beginning of summer to make a mark on the race course this season. 

In their first race of the season, the boys placed second overall in the Bronco Roundup Invitational. Nathan Wilber and Spencer Todd helped the team score 66 points for Cathedral, which lost to Del Norte by only 4 points. 

Later in the season, the boys competed at the prestigious Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. Competing against 33 other teams in the rated race, the boys placed 25th in open pot, the fastest heats in the country, and achieved the best time out of all the San Diego teams who competed at his meet. 

Nathan Wilber placed 45th out of 240 boys, running a 3-mile race in just 14:59, and explained that going into the race, he was “motivated by his teammates and the bond they have created during summer training.” Over the summer, the boys and girls cross country teams took a trip to Big Bear Mountain for a week of altitude training. This was a very special bonding experience for both teams and it helped them to physically and mentally prepare to dominate this season. 

Junior captain Andrew Martinez talked about the team’s camaraderie and how “the boys are like brothers to each other and we bond during practices and workouts.” This team bond is important for Cross Country because all members of the team need to contribute for a team to be competitive. 

Theodore Lang, junior captain, gives insight into the team’s weekly training schedule. He informs: “We run up to 40 miles per week and usually have three workouts a week, including races, and finish with a 10-mile long run on Saturday mornings. We also go to the weight room twice a week which helps us stay strong.”

These accomplishments are just the beginning of the Boys Cross Country season. The boys are projected to place in the top 3 at the CIF meet and eventually make it all the way to the state meet at the end of November.