The 56th Annual George Gross Invitational brought runners to Valley View Woods on a hot late-September afternoon, where the looping course of hills and turns demanded both strength and strategy. Against a field of twelve teams, the WRA boys rose to the challenge, racing to a fourth-place finish that left them just 16 points shy of the meet champions and only seven points away from the podium.

Junior James Johnston '27 was the story of the day. Taking control from the start, he pushed the pace on the first loop and built a commanding lead that never wavered. His winning time of 17:09.2 not only gave him the individual title by nearly ten seconds but also earned him a trophy and recognition at the awards ceremony. His time was the fastest time recorded on the course since 2018. Sophomore Brendan Bennett '28 showed equal determination, going out hard with the leaders. He finsihed the first mile in 2nd place, and held on for 5th overall in 17:55.88, a medal-worthy effort that reflected his growing confidence and competitive edge.

Seniors Rian Arora '26 (19:25.77) and Victor Wang '26 (19:40.93) provided steady depth, with Victor showing toughness while running through a calf injury. Even hampered, he improved his course time by a full minute from last season. Junior Leo Wang '27 (19:43.75) was close behind, rounding out the top five and sealing WRA's place in the team standings.

The rest of the varsity top-7 had moments of breakthrough. Junior Daniel Randazzo '27 dropped an incredible 1:19 from his time on this course last year, finishing in 20:15.16—the largest season-to-season improvement on the team. Senior Grant Adams '26 battled the heat to close out the varsity seven in 22:17.7.

By the end of the day, Johnston's trophy and Bennett's medal highlighted individual success, but the real story was the team's proximity to the top. With margins this narrow, every second mattered and every runner matters. The Pioneers proved they are no longer just showing up at invitationals—they are running to win them.

Full Results here: 

https://www.baumspage.com/cc/ccevent.php?peventid=63&table=C

Note: Generative AI helped to draft this story based on materials from baumspage.com. It was revised, reviewed and edited by the Boys' XC coaching staff.