By Julius Pak

Both boys’ and girls’ varsity cross country teams qualified for CIF Finals based on their performances at the CIF Preliminaries last Saturday. Because of the size of the field for each division, the girls’ team needed to place within the top five teams in its race to advance. The boys’ team needed to finish in the top eight.

The girls’ team finished first in its heat at Mt. San Antonio College. Co-captains Cami Chapus ’12 and Amy Weissenbach ’12 finished first and third. Weissenbach did not compete in the post season last year due to injury.

The reigning Division IV CIF champions boys’ team managed to advance to CIF Finals with a fifth place finish in its heat. Aaron de Toledo ’12 was the only member to finish in the top ten, placing third.

A week before, the teams had broken multiple records at the Mission League Finals at Crescenta Valley Park on Nov. 2. For 10 consecutive years, a Loyola runner has won the individual championship. In the final 800- meters of the 5-kilometer race of league finals, de Toledo overtook Loyola’s Jared Jones and never looked back, breaking the Cubs decade long streak.

With de Toledo and Chapus’ victories, the Wolverines took top spots in both boys’ and girls’ divisions at a league meet.

Chapus has finished first in league finals every year since her freshman season, the first in school history to do so.

The girls’ team once again defended their league title. Chapus and Weissenbach held the first two places for nearly the entire race. Elle Wilson’s ’13 performance was named the “Golden Anchor” performance by ESPN HS.

The boys’ team could not replicate last year’s second-place finish despite de Toledo’s win. Loyola’s runners all finished in the top ten.

The CIF Finals will be held at Mt. SAC this Saturday.