On Sept. 15, 2018 at Norco, California, the cross country team competed at the Woodbridge Invitationals; additionally, runners Sebastian Fisher, Ryan Smithers and Hannah Konkal broke individual LBHS records in the race.

“Sebastian Fisher ran 14:38.8 and Ryan Smithers was right next to him at 14:40. Hannah Konkal ran 17:31, which is also school record,” said boys cross country coach Scott Wittkop.“They are good at motivating themselves. They work really hard, and it pays off in what they’re doing.”

The team finished exceptionally well at this meet. Both the boys and the girls teams thrive as a result of a very encouraging team culture; this helped to enable the three athletes to break such impressive records. The team’s commitment to a positive atmosphere has resulted in past success and will enable more achievements in the future.

“At first I didn’t believe that I broke the record. I thought that I had just come really close to it,” said senior Hannah Konkel. “When I found out that I actually broke it, I was shocked and very excited.”

Despite running an amazing race, Smithers still believes there are aspects of his performance that he can improve upon.

“To be completely honest, I wasn’t ecstatic about how I ran. It was nice to hear compliments from friends and family, but this race shouldn’t end our season. I still have so many things I can improve on, and I intend on getting better from learning from these mistakes,” said Smithers.  

Among the amazing runners, another stood out: Sebastian Fisher.

“I was excited, and it also felt sort of surreal. It felt good to see everyone on our team do so well. We also broke the team time record for the school. It gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season, and I know that if we all keep working hard, we can have a successful season,” said Fisher.

There would be no cross country team at LBHS without the the people that have a passion to join. The current runners have become the fastest team in LBHS history. As a team, the boys ran a time of 1:15:07. They were the top Orange County team at the event, as well as the fastest small school team. The girls team was also the fastest team in LBHS history, running a time of 1:31:21.

“I think it’s a testament to the hard work and dedication they’ve shown over the summer months. This team has worked extremely hard. They are committed to being successful. I’m proud of their efforts! It’s been a great start to the season. We need to keep the momentum rolling,” said coach Steve Lalim.