As the 2018-2019 school year begins, there are changes happening all over Cleveland. New coaches, teachers, a new field.  Everywhere you look things are starting anew. In contrast, the Warriors cross country team had a familiar start to their season.

Ultimook is a race like no other, it takes place on a flower farm on the Oregon coast. The race is hosted by Patrick Zweifel, a former state champion runner and a current champion coach who is now sharing is passion with Oregon’s youth. The path of the runners is plagued by two river crossings, natural obstacles, the infamous mud pit and and a final circling of a hydrangea range.

The Warriors excelled this year with amazing turnout and terrific results. 63 athletes participated in the race. 28 boys and 14 girls ran in the 5k with 21 others racing in the 3k. As a team the boys varsity placed 5th out of 21 teams the girls matched that with 5th out of 17. JV proved they were a force to be reckoned with, with the boys coming in 5th out of 23 and the girls with a third place finish out of 12.

The Warriors also had four runners who were awarded flowers from the farm as trophies for their performance. Miles Takiguchi, Cate Saltore, Emmy Carroll, and Jackson Belden all placed in the top 10 in their respective races.

“The Ultimook was a fun event as always, we had a lot of good effort from people. It was my first race of the season and I was to run my fastest time on the course,” said veteran runner and Cleveland senior Ian Replinger.

As the season continues we look forward to seeing this strong Warriors team compete and push themselves to new heights. The team’s next competition is Starting the Northwest Classic on the September 15th. Until then stay up to date with all of the Warriors results at Athletic.net/xc