On Tuesday, October 3rd, Pacifica Christian hosted its annual Cross Country Event, the Triton Invitational at Crystal Cove State Park in Laguna Beach. The three-mile course, runs through the canyon, with some occasional hills and some ocean views. This year there were ten schools total in the boys race and seven in the girls including TVT, Western Christian, Calvary Chapel Downey, Pacifica Christian, Fairmont Prep, San Gabriel Academy, and Orangewood Academy.

The highlight of the day was Senior Ella Murray who took first place out of a field of 37 runners in the girl's race. Murray had a three-mile time of 19:26.60 seconds, crossing the finish line almost a minute before the next runner. Not far behind her taking fifth and sixth place were Juniors Ashley Gundlach and Akyli Maze who have been a steady component in the success of the team the past three years. The Tritons had an additional seven girl runners competing this afternoon. On the boy's side, the Orange and Navy were led by Seniors Malachi Maxwell, Peter Cao, and Junior Samuel Collier who took eighth, ninth, and tenth place respectively. Taking first place in the boy's race was Daniel Semenovitch from Orangewood Academy with a three-mile time of 16:36.00. The squad had an additional four runners out on the course including Carson Brandenbereger, Jordan Jordanides, Wendall Stratton, and Justin Habib. 

When asked about yesterdays home event, Head Coach Josh Espinoza remarked, "Ella winning our home invite was a lot of fun to watch, I knew she was fast, but now I know she's also tough. Both girls and boys teams continue to improve so it is really great to see our school get behind us and support us at this great event. I look forward to making it even better in the years to come."

The Tritons will travel over to Catalina this coming Tuesday to race in the Avalon Meet, followed by OC Champions on Friday, October 13. 

Click here for the post-race interview with Ella Murray! 

Additional Links:

Click here for the recap video!

Click here for the girl's race results. 

Click here for the boy's race results.