The speedsters are back in town

By Sarena Kabir on October 25, 2019

Back at it

Nico Young, senior, started running track at a young age. “I got into it because one time my mom’s friend told my mom that I was running pretty fast and so I joined track and I never stopped doing it,” Young said. With the help of his coach, Sean Brosnan, Nico has been able to improve on his training as well as his run times. “I think the main thing is that (Coach Brosman) knows exactly what point we are in our training and knows what we are capable of with running and that prediction gives us the confidence to run,” Young said.

Running in style

Jace Aschbrenner, senior, has gotten into track through his family. “My grandpa ran track and cross country and my dad ran track and cross country, and so I decided to get into it and I really stayed with it because of all the people I got to run with,” Aschbrenner said. With a time of 4:20 for the mile, and a 14:04 for the 3 mile, Aschbrenner is ranked 22nd in the nation. “But I mean, most people call us crazy but it's what we gotta do to be good at our sport,” Aschbrenner said.

Running fast

At the Clovis Invitational on Oct. 12, the boys' cross country team won second overall and the girls' team got 4th, with Nico Young, senior, taking first place individually. With the boys varsity team being ranked first, and the girls team ranked 22 in the nation, NPHS is dominating the cross country playing field. Sean Brosnan/With Permission

Leading the pack

Archana Mohandas, senior, has led the Marmonte league in the three mile for the last two years for girls. “I started running Cross Country in 8th grade just because I thought I would enjoy it, but after my first season, I fell in love with the sport. I decided to continue in high school and over the past four years, it has become a very important part of my life,” Mohandas said. With practices six days a week, adding up to about 60 miles a week, Mohandas and the rest of the team work hard to get ready for all their races, and their dedication is paying off.

All Together

Gretchen Slattum, senior, Nico Young, senior, and Fiona Hawkins, junior, run together at practice as they prepare for their next meet. All three have been running from a very young age, knowing they wanted to join the high school cross country team. Although the boys’ and girls’ teams run separately, they have created a strong team community, which Hawkins credits in part to their coach, Sean Brosnan. “He has created a great culture in the program, and everyone knows that they are expected to work hard. My teammates are also a big motivation because they all put in a lot of hard work and are constantly pushing me in practice,” Hawkins said.