Santa Clarita, CA — The Vikings battled at the first Foothill League race under near ideal race conditions over the hilly course at College of the Canyons. With stiff local competition, the Vikings made their mark across all divisions and showed the region they are a team to be reckoned with.

Santa Clarita, CA — After a two-year hiatus, the Foothill League Cross Country Finals returned to Central Park in Saugus. Filled with top local talent and several ranked teams in the varsity races, the Valencia Vikings Cross Country Team needed to bring their best looking for both team and individual glory and a chance to extend their season to the CIF Southern Section Prelims in November.

Walnut, CA — Valencia Vikings Cross Country Team tested their fitness at the famous Mt. SAC Invite in Walnut. Met with a late heatwave with hot and dry weather, the conditions upped the stakes on this challenging and hilly course.

Long Beach, CA — The Valencia Vikings cross country team traveled to El Dorado Park in Long Beach looking to eclipse the competition at the Bell Gardens Invitational this past weekend. Finding a mixed terrain course with thick, uneven grass sections interspersed with faster road sections, the team was anticipating tough competition and a chance for personal bests on the deceptively challenging course. With pleasant temperatures and a slight breeze for later races, the conditions were nearly ideal for the Vikings.

Fresno, CA — The Valencia Viking Cross Country team sent their varsity squads up to the Clovis Invitational in Fresno this past weekend. The Vikings had quite the challenge with many of the top teams in the state making the trip to experience the state championship course. Waiting for them was a rolling, winding 5k over mixed terrain. The well-tended course was fast with short grass, watered dirt sections and a bit of asphalt mixed in. Rarely flat with gentle gradients for most of the hills, the team was hoping for fast times and looking to prep for competitive races as the end of the season is around the corner. With late morning start times and a forecast of 90+ for the day, the heat played a role for many of the competitors.

Los Angeles, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team hit the challenging terrain of Griffith Park in the Bell Jeff Invitational this past weekend. The course started in the Merry-Go-Round area of the park and threw numerous challenges at the competitors as they toured above and through the old Zoo of Griffith Park. Thick grass with gopher holes challenged runners at the start and finish areas while plentiful hills, uneven asphalt, and poor footing challenged runners through the entire course. Cool weather temperatures made for ideal racing temperatures and the forecast rain held off for most of the event before letting loose on the Vikings final race.

Santa Clarita, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country took on the very competitive Foothill League over the challenging hills at the College of the Canyons this past Saturday. The course climbed the back access road of the college and runners were greeted with two loops, each with a serous hill at the turn around. First loop was past the vineyard and up the “Evil Twin.” At the summit was a supportive crowd and a bit of downhill relief before the second loop delivered the runners the infamous “Killer Hill.” A steep hill, with an undulating summit and a run along the ridge, challenged the field before one last little bump up named “What the Hill??” delivered them to a long descent to finish in the stadium. Early start times and unseasonably comfortable September weather helped to relieve the sting of the challenging course as the Vikings sized up the league.

Irvine, CA — The Valencia Vikings cross country team braved the LA traffic to arrive at The Great Park in Irvine ready to race in the Woodbridge invitational. The largest cross country invitational in the country brought an electric environment and large completive fields to push our team to their limits. With a fast flat course winding through the soccer fields and near perfect weather, the Vikings were looking to deliver on their aspirations for season best performances.

Moorpark, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross country team opened the official racing season at Arroyo Vista Park in the Moorpark Invitational on Friday. The course was three miles of flat, looping terrain around Arroyo Vista Park’s pedestrian paths and soccer fields. The warmer than hoped for temperatures challenged the Vikings through the day and the competitive fields pushed the team to their limits.

Walnut, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team looked to make their mark as they competed against the region’s top teams at the CIF Southern Section prelims. With stiff competition, the Vikings knew they needed to bring their best to make the cut and continue the season. In the heats of Division 1, the top four teams and top six individuals would advance to the sectional finals next week. The return to the famous Mt. SAC cross country course brought not only the challenges of the competition, but also the hilly terrain of the toughest course the runners would face all season.

Santa Clarita, CA — The Valencia Viking Cross Country team took on the rest of the Foothill League at the championship race held at College of the Canyons. With tough competition and a challenging hilly course, the Vikes were hoping to bring their best performances of the year and advance into the post season. A crisp early Fall morning brought cool temperatures and ideal racing temperatures for the fields.

Walnut, CA — After a weekend off from racing, the Valencia Vikings Cross Country team tested their fitness at the famous Mt. SAC XC Invite in Walnut. Met with a cool, breezy, and partly cloudy day, the Vikings welcomed to beginning of Fall weather and just missed a late heatwave that would have upped the stakes on this challenging and hilly course.

Santa Clarita, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team split up this weekend with the varsity squads traveling up to Woodward Park in Fresno at the Clovis Invite while the Frosh/Soph and JV runners stayed local to again take on the hills at College of the Canyons in the SCV Invitational.

Fresno, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team split up this weekend with the varsity squads traveling up to Woodward Park in Fresno at the Clovis Invite while the Frosh/Soph and JV runners stayed local to again take on the hills at College of the Canyons in the SCV Invitational.

Brea, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team headed down to Carbon Canyon Regional Park to compete in the Brea Invite this weekend. Greeted by overcast skies and pleasant temperatures, the challenge for the athletes was the long and varied course. Measured at 3.2 miles, the course traversed through the thick grass of the park, transitioned to dirt paths that ascended to the top of the dam at 2 miles and then a long, gradual, and twisting decent back to the thick grassy finish. Different than other events, athletes were organized into smaller fields run by team position. Varsity races were divided into runners 1 & 2 in one race, runners 3-5 in a different race, with runners 6-7 and JV in a third. Frosh/Soph races were divided into runners 1-5 in one race with runners 6+ in another. With races starting every 10 minutes and having multiple races out on the single loop course, this was not a particularly spectator friendly atmosphere, but the efficiency of the event had the Vikings off to the rest of the Fall Break weekend before noon.

Santa Clarita, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team stayed local this week to compete against the other SCV high schools in Foothill League Race #1. Although field sizes were much smaller than those found at recent invitationals, the competition was tough as multiple teams in the league are ranked in the CIF Southern Section.

Irvine, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country team battled the Friday afternoon freeway congestion to travel down to The Great Park of Irvine to compete in the 41st Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. One of the largest cross-country invitationals in the state and the country, the Woodbridge invite is known for a fast course and very large and competitive fields. Pleasant afternoon temperatures and a cool sea breeze greeted the Vikings along with over 5000 of their closest competitors.

Rosemead, CA — The Valencia Vikings Cross Country continued their racing campaign at the 37th annual Rosemead Invitational at Rosemead High School on Saturday night. Greeted by cooler temperatures due to late racing times and a break in the early September heat wave, the Vikings were primed to drop some time from their opening efforts of last week.