Gilroy – Academically, no other team across California could
compete with the Gilroy High School cross-country team, who were
the 2006-07 CIF Academic State champions in their sport.
By Greg Chapman Staff Writer
Gilroy – Academically, no other team across California could compete with the Gilroy High School cross-country team, who were the 2006-07 CIF Academic State champions in their sport.
The GHS cross-country team, comprised of seven girls, had an unweighted GPA of 3.9545, the best in the state.
“It was exciting for them, they put in a lot of effort for it,” said GHS Cross-Country Coach Cathy Silva.
Last year the Mustangs lost by a tenth of a point in the CCS section with a 3.85 GPA, and it motivated them after losing by such a small margin.
“This year they were determined to win,” Silva said. “They are a very dedicated group of girls.”
Silva called the team a very unique group because “they just like school,” she said
The girls frequently talked to each other about similar subjects during warm-ups, and the older girls helped out the three freshmen with the courses they had already taken.
The Mustangs excelled in college preparatory courses. Senior Megan Litle, who won the Scholar Athlete award at GHS, took four AP courses, junior Kristina Schmidt took three AP courses, sophomore Cathleen Miller took three honors courses, sophomore Christine Bobula took one AP course and two honors courses, and the three freshmen were in honors classes.
“These girls aren’t taking easy classes,” Silva said. “All of them have the goal of going to a four-year college right out of high school.”
Silva feels that the girls have an edge in attending top colleges because they are not only excelling in running but also in the classroom as well.
This season, the Mustangs were second in the Tri-County Athletic League as a team and went to CCS for the first time as a team. Miller broke the GHS two-mile record during the CCS final and qualified for the state five-mile course.
The team went with Miller to the state final in hopes of qualifying next year as a team. They’ve already begun training this summer to accomplish that goal.
The team is capable of achieving anything they set their mind to, Silva said.
“It’s very exciting because they’re a very talented group,” Silva said. “Next year I expect better times from them.. As a coach, you couldn’t ask for a better group of girls.”
