Since the end of the 2024-2025 school year and all of the summer between then and now, the Oakmont Cross Country athletes have been working hard, training to beat their PR’s and the other runners. On Nov. 15, they finally crossed the finish line, having competed in the San-Joaquin Section Cross Country Finals.
The day started with the Freshmen Boys, who were matched up against Elk Grove. At the start of the race, Elk Grove was ahead, however, Oakmont came back with a vengeance later on and took the lead, winning by just seven points. The top freshman runner was Theo Gallegos-Zarzicki. Hayden Bettencourt and Jacob Reyes finished as Oakmont’s 2nd and 3rd runners, with Brandon Bishop not far behind them. Chris Dominguez came in the 5th and was fighting a toe injury, while Angel Perez rounded out the team.
Up next were the Frosh/Soph Girls, who showed amazing potential as the pressure grew heavier. Oakmont was ranked 4th coming into the race and finished in 4th place as well. Freshmen Chloe Press and May Millan led the team together, finishing only two places apart from one another. Grace Brand, a sophomore, was Oakmont’s 3rd finisher and Anabel Snyder overcame a terrible illness to be the Vikings’ #4 girl. Freshmen Sofiia Plishanova, who was battling a hip injury, and Diana Pena finished in 4th.
The Sophomore Boys were next, who were ranked 3rd coming into the race. These Vikes beat the #2 ranked Kimball High School by 10 points and landed as the SJS Runners-Up. The Sophomore Boys were led by Ian Scott and Peter Geluk was three places behind. Geluk started slowly but passed numerous runners before finishing with the leaders. Mohammad Alhadadi and Jackson Keim were Oakmont’s 3rd and 4th finishers, with Andrew Sykes coming in 5th. Sykes was crucial for Oakmont securing the 2nd place title. Jack Lawson and Artem Kobelev rounded out the Sophomore Boys team.
The final race was the Varsity Boys. The Varsity Vikings came into the race ranked 8th in the Sac-Joaquin Section and ended with a 7th place finish. Once again, the Vikings were led by senior Caleb Hernandez. Junior Neil Ponseti had a huge comeback and finished in 2nd place for Oakmont. Jaciel Garcia was 3rd for Oakmont and was the top freshman finisher in the entire race. Senior Sam Patterson and freshman Miles Guth were Oakmont’s 4th and 5th finishers, with juniors Ian Lindley and Zac Barragan-Reidt rounding out Oakmont’s Varsity Boys.
Although Oakmont didn’t produce any state qualifiers this year, all the runners exemplified tremendous grit, resilience, and strength. Long-distance running is no easy feat, and these athletes made it seem easy. Through a collective effort, the Vikings Cross Country teams made it to section finals and they deserved it. Until next year, Vikings?
