By Adyant Bhavsar ’28
The Lowell Invitational, also known as the San Francisco Invitational, is a prestigious cross country meet held annually at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This year marks the 51st year of the invitational, which has been hosted by Lowell High School for the past 44 years. The race distances are approximately 2.13 miles for freshmen and sophomores and 2.78 miles for JV and varsity runners. The course of the race takes runners past police horse stables, a lake, the polo field at Golden Gate Park Stadium, a meadow, and much more.
Bellarmine was a formidable foe heading into the race, due to its impressive history at the competition and the particular strength of this year’s team. Despite the presence of over eighty strong teams from around the Bay (such as Clovis North, Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Francisco University High School, and more), the Bells were definitively a force to be reckoned with.
As in years past, Bellarmine boasted the largest entry of runners into the race, with medalists and award-winners in every division. As in previous years, Bellarmine racers could be seen among the top finishers throughout the competition. The Frosh team achieved fifth place in their race overall, an impressive finish for a relatively new team that unluckily experienced high numbers of injured or sick athletes. The Sophomores achieved second place in their race, only mere points (literally, just seconds) away from beating the only team above them. The JV team displayed their prowess as experienced runners with a strong third place finish in one of the toughest groups of the tournament. Last, but certainly not least, the 14 varsity team members proved why they are Bellarmine’s most elite cross country runners, with an outstanding showing of first and third place in their respective races, against the very best runners from schools all around the Bay Area.
Sophomore Gavin Borer ’27 takes the lead against two opponents.
For some racers, the Lowell Invite was their first ever race; for others, it was the fourth time they had run the course. Despite this, runners across the board saw overall improvement in their running times and were able to bond over the memorable experience on Saturday. I spoke with three runners who ran for Bellarmine at Lowell, one from each of the Frosh, JV, and Varsity divisions, as well as Mr. McCrystle, the head coach of the cross country program, as they shared their experiences and answered some questions.
Mr. McCrystle joined Bell in 1989, and is currently the head coach of the Bellarmine Cross Country program. He has coached the cross country squad for nearly 24 years and the track and field program for nearly 16, and is widely regarded as one of the Bay’s top coaches.
- How do you prepare the team for a major event like the Lowell Invitational?
One of the key techniques that we want to work on this year is pack running, which helps to both encourage our runners and intimidate opponents. So, we’ve been trying to prepare students by encouraging them to practice pack running, especially leading up to big races like Lowell. In addition, something that always helps is talking about the specifics of the course prior to the race. We do this so runners can visualize what their race might look like, and plan their runs accordingly.
- What do you believe is the most important quality for a successful cross country runner?
It’s very hard to pin it down to one thing, but consistency and grit are definitely right near the top. We develop consistency in our runners by making it a requirement to go to every practice, and complete the workout in the spirit that the workout calls for. Grit is something we talk about, explain, and point to examples when other BCP students demonstrate it, in hopes of encouraging and building it in all of our athletes.
- How do you handle the varying skill levels and experiences of your runners?
Cross country is one of the biggest sports at Bellarmine because it’s no cut, and it’s important that nobody is forced to do a workout that’s too hard or too easy for them. IN order to account for everyone’s varying skill levels, we divide the whole team of 220 runners into 5 ‘Fitness groups’—each named for one of my favorite Jesuits—and training is tailored to these groups, in terms of volume and intensity.
- What role do you think mental preparation plays in cross country, and how do you address it with your team?
Mental preparation is a really big part of cross country because as they say, the mental battle is just as important as the physical one. I’d say it counts about 90%, relative to physical preparation. It’s easy to do physical training that is nearly identical to most of your rivals, but the mental preparation is what separates those who will allow themselves to maximize their potential and those who will fall far short of their potential.
5. What has been your most memorable moment as a coach at the Lowell Invitational?
Well, it’s a long story that I don’t think I could do justice to without being able to act it out (seriously). In 2012, our team cleared first at the Lowell Race and we were all super excited. We had an afterparty in the park, where we all got Mexican popsicles (mango and coconut, I still remember!) from a guy that was selling them in the park. We cleared him out that day – it was a blast!
Neil Sethi ‘28 runs competitively for Bellarmine Cross Country as a freshman with a passion for the sport. He is very talented, and consistently wins medals at meets. He ran the 2.13-mile course at Lowell.
- How did you prepare for your first race?
Preparation is the most important part of any race as it allows your body to be ready to give its best, and for you to feel ready to perform your best, both mentally and physically.. For this race, the coaches mainly emphasized to us the importance of getting quality sleep, eating well before the race (which was in the morning), and hydration throughout the day. Following these steps really made for a successful first race for myself and the team.
- What was going through your mind before and during the race?
I was mainly thinking about the course – planning how to effectively distribute my energy in order to make sure I didn’t run too conservatively while also ensuring I didn’t burn out halfway through. We ran a warm-up lap around about half of the course before the race, so I was using what I was able to see to think about when to pass people, and when to begin my final sprint near the finish line.
- How did you feel about your performance at the race?
I actually feel my performance was the best it could have been, especially for my first ever race for Bellarmine!. I kept a pretty solid pace throughout the race and didn’t slow down, and I ended up with a time I’m proud of.
- What was the most challenging part of the course for you?
The most challenging part of the race for me was when I started sprinting too early at the very beginning of the race, which caused me to lose some energy really quickly. This allowed four to five people to pass me. However, I eventually was able to collect myself and push to sprint again as I saw the end coming up.
- How do you balance other schoolwork and training for cross country?
Cross country practice does not really interfere with work. If I’m able to do some of my schoolwork during outside time like free periods or community time, I still have enough time to finish what’s remaining at home, even with an extensive cross country practice after school.
Darsh Dwivedi ‘27 runs in the Junior Varsity (JV) division under Bellarmine. As a veteran runner, he has experience with the cross country program and constantly strives to improve himself and others. He ran the 2.78 mile course at Lowell.
- How does this year’s Lowell Invitational compare to previous years for you?
As a sophomore currently, I believe that the course itself changed just a little bit since I ran it last year. Specifically, the route which I took during the race was a little bit different in comparison to the route I took at Lowell last year as a freshman. I would also add that the vibes from the team were more supportive but also more competitive than last year, as we have higher expectations this year in contrast to last year as a team.
- What are your personal goals for this season, and how does today’s race fit into those goals?
My main personal goal this year is to work hard to be my very best, or essentially run to the best of my abilities. The Lowell Race fits in with my goal as I see it as an opportunity to showcase the effort I’ve put in and maybe even increase my goal, in order to really push myself.
- Can you describe a moment during the race that stood out to you?
One particular moment that stood out to me during the race was the fact that the course length itself felt slightly shorter than last year’s experience, which I realized as I was about to complete the first mile of the race. This gave me a boost of energy and a sense of optimism mid-race as I realized I had improved since last year, and running the longer distance was less tiring.
- How do you support and motivate your teammates during races?
I usually express verbal compliments to support my fellow teammates (i.e. “Keep on running man! Fly like an airplane! Do not stop running!”). Cheering on your teammates at races is a big part of what it means to run for Bellarmine, as we pride ourselves on the strong camaraderie we have at cross country.
- What advice would you give to new or aspiring runners for the team?
A piece of advice I would personally give to our potential future runners would be: “If you desire to run like a professional XC athlete, run cross country at BCP. If you dream of agility coupled with physical and mental strengthening of your abilities, run cross country at BCP. If you wish to run by your standards with the support of an entire team by your side, run cross country at BCP. But never only try to simply be the best runner in XC history, because if you are narrow-minded and attempt to do so, you will waste your real potential and never understand the true meaning of Bellarmine XC, which is to run and improve as a team.”
Duncan Burk ’27 is one of Bellarmine’s top cross country runners, and a very promising prospect in the years ahead. Although he is only a sophomore, Duncan runs impressive races, winning titles for Bellarmine at the varsity division.
- What was your strategy going into the Lowell Invitational, and how well did you execute it?
Our strategy was to run as a pack, because we had learned from our experiences and coaches that pack running helps increase our pace and encourages us to keep going. It worked pretty well as we were together for the first 1.5 miles and we finished the race fairly close together.
- How do you handle the pressure of competing at the varsity level? How does this level of competition compare to the others?
Especially as a sophomore competing in Varsity, it’s important for me to just stay calm, especially right before and during races, knowing that me and my teammates have put in countless hours of work. Clearing my mind allows me to run my best and feel confident in me and my teammates. Varsity is definitely a much tougher level than JV but I feel like with lots of dedication anyone can excel in it.
- What does this race mean to you and your team?
The Lowell Race was particularly important to us as it was our first race of the season. We always use our times at Lowell as a starting benchmark for where we were when the cross country season began. Hopefully, we slowly improve this time throughout the season as we prepare for bigger, tougher invitational meets.
- Can you share a memorable experience from race day?
Race day is always filled with funny and memorable moments because of the friendship that we have amongst runners in cross country. One of my favorite experiences from that day was when a couple of my friends and teammates were dancing to my favorite song before we started cheering on the sophomores.
- What are your long-term goals in cross country, and how does this race contribute to them?
My long-term goal is to drop my time at each and every race I participate in, regardless of distance, so that I can incrementally build up my stamina and pace and overall make me a better cross country athlete. This race gives me a stepping stone to base my efforts on so I can improve.