Both Chelsea High cross country teams swept their competitions last week, defeating Minuteman and Whittier to extend their undefeated records. The girls improved to 7-0 on the season, while the boys maintained their perfect 6-0 mark and secured the lower division league title with their Minuteman victory. Yesterday (Wednesday) in Billerica, both squads were scheduled to face undefeated Shawsheen Tech.
In the boys’ 19-43 win over Minuteman, Ugo Cvjetan claimed first place, finishing just two seconds ahead of his nearest Minuteman rival. Chelsea’s depth was evident as teammates captured the following five positions and 11 of the next 12 spots overall. Santos Hernandez placed third for the Red Devils, with Francisco Colindres, Hector Mendoza, Edgar Ocana, and Joseph Arroyo rounding out the scoring. “The team showed a lot of depth in this meet,” noted CHS head coach Don Fay. “Our next six runners finished within 22 seconds of each other.” The supporting group included Norbert Simon, Chester Rath, Jamie Aguilar, Eric Alvarez, Eddie Rosales, and Calvin Hernandez.
The Lady Red Devils faced their tightest contest of the season against Minuteman, ultimately prevailing 25-30. Suzanne Mikalixen won the race while Duska Cvjetan finished second overall. Jesenia Contreras crossed in fourth place for Chelsea, but the Lady Minutemen responded by taking the next three spots and four of five. Sophomore Tatiana Almedia placed eighth and sophomore Arandeni Ramos finished tenth to secure the victory for Chelsea.
On Friday, both teams hosted their final home meet against Whittier on a cold, windy day. The boys dominated with a 16-47 victory while the girls won 18-41. Junior Edgar Ocana captured his first cross country win in 19:54, with junior Francisco Colindres second in 20:10. Senior captain Santos Hernandez took third in 20:17, followed by junior Eddy Rosales in fourth at 20:25, and Hector Mendoza in sixth place.
For the girls, Suzanne Mikalixen won in 23:10, nearly matching her personal best. Freshman Duska Cvjetan placed second in 24:06, while senior captain Jesenia Contreras finished fourth in 25:10. Sophomores Patricia Guardado, Arandeni Ramos, and Tatiana Almedia completed the scoring in fifth, sixth, and seventh places respectively.