The Roman Cross-Country Running Team is stronger than it has been in years. The team has a full roster of 26 runners, and is always looking for more interested students to join.

In early season competition, the team was been very successful. In the Mountain View Invitational, Los Angeles finished ahead of many other schools that have well respected running programs. Olga Ivaniv, Vickie Ruano, and Maria Baez, all of whom won medals for their performances, deserve special mention.

In the Bell-Jeff Invitational, Los Angeles also performed well. The only LAUSD High School to best the Romans was Belmont, which is a nationally ranked team.

In our opening season Conference Classic, the Running Romans won in the Boys Frosh/Soph division, with Juan Carlos Garcia finishing first and Angel Rodriguez finishing fourth. Both the Boys and Girls Varsity finished second, both behind perennial powerhouse, Palisades. Vickie Ruano finished fourth and Olga Ivaniv finished fifth in the girls race. In the boys race, Benito Patino finished seventh and Wilberth Diaz finished ninth.

The team is continuing to train hard in order to prepare for its weekly meets at Pierce College that take place on Thursdays. The main focus of the team, however, is directed to the Conference Championships, which will take place on November 4.