In preparation for its second Mission League meet Thursday, the junior boys earned second place at the cross country team’s third practice invitational. The race, the Wayne Walker Invitational at Craig Park,does not matter for the squad’s league standings.

“Even though it doesn’t matter for our league, it’s still a great opportunity for everyone to race and get an evaluation of how their training is going and how they are reacting to it,” varsity runner Lauren Jones ’16 said.

Runners were divided by grade and gender, and for each division, the top three teams with five or more participants in that grouping earned a plaque. Since there were more than five junior boys running, they were eligible for a plaque.

This was the team’s third invitational and this Thursday will be the team’s second Mission League meet. The squad started the year at the Seaside Invitational, a flat three mile race with the same scoring system as the Wayne Walker Invitational.

Next was the first Mission League Cluster at Woodley Park. The girls came in first and the boys finished third, meaning those are their Mission League rankings heading into the second cluster.

“It was a really hot day and everyone was running slow on that 5K course,” varsity runner Jack Stovitz ’16 said. “We just really cared about securing our places as a team.”

The runners’ third meet, the Woodbridge Invitational, was a larger race. It was a at night in a stadium with lights on and thousands of people cheering the runners on, Stovitz said. The girls finished fifth.

“It was a really fast three mile course, and we had a lot of fun there,” Stovitz said. “The competition was so good, and we all ran pretty good times and got in good practice running at an elite meet.”