The Ojai Valley School boys cross country team opened the season with an Omega League victory on Wednesday, with last year’s defending league champion Kai Ishikawa leading the way.
Kai, a senior, took second overall, finishing the tough three-mile Pi course, on a very hot and humid day, in 20 minutes and 1 second.
He was followed by junior Russell Zhuang who took 5th, junior Leo Li who took 10th, senior Vincent Bell who came in 11th and freshman Cash Vera who took 12th and who was the fastest freshman on the course on Wednesday.
The boys are the defending league champions, having won that title four years in a row.
On the girls’ side, the OVS team, beset by illness and injury, had only one runner cross the finish line. Junior Celeste Ayala was the only OVS girl to finish the race placing 4th overall.
The home opener drew 75 boys and girls runners, making it the largest Omega League cross country meet since the start of the Covid era, when the pandemic dramatically reduced the number of participants in all sports.
“It was so great to see so many runners on the course today, it reminded me of old times,” cross country coach Fred Alvarez said. “It was a good first race for us, and I am really proud of all of those who completed their first-ever cross country meet. I look forward to seeing what we can do once we are healthier and have more miles under our belt.”
OVS cross country will travel to compete in the historic Bell-Jeff Invitational on Sept. 27 and then will head to its next Omega League meet at Griffith Park on October 1.