Last Saturday in Santa Rosa, the North Bay League championship meet was held at the Spring Lake course, and for the second year in a row the Healdsburg Greyhounds delivered a dominant performance among Division 5 athletes.
Six of the top-10 times came from Greyhounds runners, led by junior Lucas Welty winning the individual race by an impressive 27 seconds. His time of 14:43.6 came within a fraction of a second of the course record. He was followed in second by Domenico Cornilsen and third by Jack Beckman. All three are juniors. Also finishing in the top 10 were Phoenix De Maria Nall, Jack Reichel and Lukas Brennan.
Overall, Healdsburg’s team easily won the school competition, besting teams from Piner, Ukiah, Cardinal Newman and Rancho Cotate. The Hounds established a new school record with a combined team time of 80:04.0, with all seven varsity runners—including unplaced William Ullyott—recording personal bests on the Spring Lake course.
Coach Kate Guthrie was justifiably proud of the team effort. “What makes this group special is the commitment each runner brings to the team and the way they continue to raise the standard for one another,” she said following the meet. “Defending a league championship while setting a new school record is a testament to the work they’ve put in throughout the season and the belief they have in what they can accomplish together.”
Two more meets this fall await the galloping Greyhounds. First up is the North Coast Section Championship at Hayward High School on Nov. 21. Beyond that would be a return appearance at the CIF State Championships in Fresno a week later, on Nov. 28.
“This group has already accomplished something special,” said Guthrie, “and they have their sights set on making even more history in the weeks ahead.”
