The Beachwood cross country team placed third at the CVC tournament at Cardinal on Friday, Oct. 11.

Junbo Wang placed fifth and qualified for first team all conference; Henrik Burda and Dirck Van Tassel qualified for second team all conference. 

Sasha Kheyfets placed third and qualified for first team all conference.

Van Tassel is a senior who just joined the team this year, and won a medal in his first ever meet back in August.

Additionally, Junbo Wang placed first and Sasha Kheyfets placed third at the Medina Invitational on Oct. 5.

“I’m optimistic about how we’ll do at districts and regionals,” Wang said. “A lot of runners have been training in the off-season, and this is by far the best results we’ve seen in the past few years for our sport.” 

“It’s going to be tough, but we’re well-prepared after a tough season,” coach Jamie Lader said.

The Varsity team will compete at the district tournament on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Lorain County Community College. The top six teams and top 24 runners will advance to regionals. 

Early in the season Lader spoke to the Beachcomber about why cross country is such a unique sport.

“Cross-country is a sport you grow to love,” he said. 

“You’re not going to be a successful athlete unless you want to be there,” he added. “It takes a lot of grit and mental toughness, not just physical strength.”