Diamond Bar High School cross country lost over the weekend in the CIF semi-finals, the first time in 13 years that the team had competed in the playoffs.  

“Obviously we were in a ridiculously stacked league last year so our chances of getting out of league were slim to none, so having the opportunity to compete against teams more our level has been a good moral booster,” head coach Malinalli Cooke said.

In the competition, held at the Riverside Cross Country Course, the girls placed 16 out of 19 while the boys placed 17 out of 21. Junior Lukas Amare and sophomore Keili Ishitani placed first for the team, with Amare receiving 30 points and Ishitani getting 71 points.

“Although we are not moving on, I am proud of how well everyone has performed throughout the season,” senior captain Frederick Yang said.

At the league finals at Bonelli Park, the girls took first place and the boys second. Leading the girls were Ishitani and sophomore Allison Ear, taking fifth and sixth place, while Amare and senior Thomas Ear took first and third, respectively.

“A lot of us we were a bit sad that we didn’t hit the time that we wanted at league finals, but we [were] still really excited to go to CIFs,” Yang said.

The girls earned an overall score of 47 points, two points ahead of Chaffey High School, while the boys were behind Ontario High School by 24 points, with 57 points at league finals.

In the league standings, girls tied for first with Chaffey, while boys placed second. Amare was given the title of Mt. Baldy’s League MVP, and Thomas Ear, Allison Ear and junior George Rosales and sophomore Cameron Tsao earned Top 10 in the league.