By Katelyn Adams and Sofie McTague
Staff Writers
This past Saturday, our cross country team had a very successful Homecoming meet that took place at the San Antonio Christian School. The competition was fierce; however, the high school and middle school teams dominated the competition under the excellent guidance of Coach Lopez, Coach Opitz, and Coach Rosemark. Despite the rough terrain and a huge hill at the end of the race, the meet was successful. Coach Lopez stated, “25 runners improved their times, so that was really good,”
Coach Lopez with BASIS Shavano cross-country runners Prisha Patel, Swecha Nallagatla, Cecilia Oliver, Reya Sathish Kumar, Vishwa Patel, Athena Kim, Asmi Hota, Priya Proud, Linaya Bulathsinghala as they prepare for the race. The runners take a moment to regroup and get ready to give their best on the course. 
The BASIS Shavano Varsity Girls cross-country team runners Nidhi Shastry, Sofie McTague, Deetya Malikarjun, Hema Krishnamurthy, Seha Bulathsinghala, Katelyn Adams, and Krisha Patel celebrate a successful meet standing alongside Coach Lopez. 
Lucas Lopez maintains a strong pace as he navigates the course at the meet. 
Through the final stretch, the BASIS Shavano Dragons leave everything on the course as the varsity girls race finishes. They are cheered on by a supportive crowd of families, teammates, and fans.
Varsity girls were up first, beginning their run at 7:30 AM. The early start, accompanied by cool weather and dry air set them off to a great start. Initially separated, the girls eventually found their pace and kept up with each other, slowly inching toward the front of the pack. The flat course allowed all of them to catch up to the team’s leading runner, sophomore Nidhi Shastry, by the last 1000 meters of the race. Tired and barely holding on, the team pulled through those last 800 meters together, until a sharp turn revealed a nearly vertical hill that took them by surprise. Determined to win, each sprinted up the hill and finished the last 400 meters cleanly, taking second place for the team. The varsity girls all powered to the finish together, with junior Seha Bulathsinghala and sophomores Nidhi Shastry, Deetya Malikarjun, Sofie McTague, Ashley Siebenaler, Hema Krishnamurthy, and Katelyn Adams finishing remarkably, with all of their times under 15 minutes for the two-mile race.
After the girls’ run, the varsity boys’ race followed at a rolling start and began at around 7:50 AM. Compared to the girls’ two-mile race, they run a 5K which is approximately 3.1 miles. With guidance from the varsity girls’ team and abundant cheers, the varsity boys were able to tackle both the ginormous hill and the rising temperatures of the morning with ease. Notably, the first finisher of the team, Ian Lopez, was able to achieve an exceptional time of 15:48.01. Lopez was followed by juniors Ram Narayan and Perrin Holder, freshman Cian Oliver, and senior Vincent Chau.
The JV girls team was represented by one runner, sophomore Krisha Patel, who did a phenomenal job in taking the first place win for the JV high school girls division. From the gunshot, she started the race in the middle of the pack, slowly moving her way up to top three by the first mile. By the time she powered over the final hill to the finish, she was in top place and finished the race with a powerful sprint to the medal. In the second JV race of the morning, freshman Lucius Arias placed 41st in the division. He continued to push through the blazing heat and powered over the last hill. He was able to continue a consistent pace through the whole three-mile race, and finished with a strong sprint to the finish line.
The middle school girls finished exceptionally in 4th place with runners Athena Kim, Asmi Hota, Linaya Bulathsinghala, Priya Proud, Prisha Patel, Reya Sathish Kumar, Vishwa Patel, Cecilia Oliver and Swecha Nallagatla. Many of the runners ran their best times of the season and gave a powerful race, with Athena Kim placing in top 20. The middle school girls state that there was great motivation throughout the race from the parents and their fellow team members. They also said that they were motivated to run much faster because of the competitive nature of the other teams and runners in their division.
The middle school boys placed 4th with a powerful run, with Lucas Lopez leading the team and finishing in 3rd place. He was followed by runners Sylas Gowler, Liam Rosemark, Krishan Giriraj, Ricardo Matinez, Elias Opitz, Satvik Penmatsha, Shreyash Baniya, Johan Thomas, and Nathan Thomas. Most runners on the team ran their best times of the season, with more than half of the team finishing under 16 minutes for their two-mile race. The middle school boys claim that the crowd of the race and the massive hill at the end was extremely difficult. Some even said they had to go on all fours up the extreme peak.
Overall, the SACS XC Invitational was an unforgettable Hhomecoming meet, showing the endurance, teamwork, and athletic excellence of the team. From the varsity runners pushing their limits to the middle school teams conquering the high final hill, every runner proved their dedication to the sport and to their team. With 25 personal records broken and multiple medals and awards won, the team has set a high bar for the rest of the season, including regionals which are coming up this weekend. Guided by remarkable coaching and driven by the support of their families and teammates, our runners are on their way to turning this motivation into a monumental season.