A big congratulations goes out to Riley Simmonds, Arata Nakanishi, and Zoe Unger who were recently awarded by BC Athletics for finishing 2nd (Arata and Riley) and 3rd (Zoe) in their respective divisions in the Lower Mainland Cross Country Series. These athletes received very nice plaques that helped brighten up winter training. Well done, Royals! 
Tag: 2021; cross country results
Royals Shine at Eastern Valley Championship
Our Royals cross country runners had a great showing at the very well attended Eastern Fraser Valley Championship yesterday on our home course. Riley Simonds finished 30 seconds ahead of the field to win the grade 8 boys division, and we had a landslide in the Junior Men’s race with Mark Molina finishing 1st, Sam May 3rd, Arata Nakanishi 4th, Arie Wassenaar 7th, Will Van Schagen 8th, and Tristian Steiger 13th. William Burke rounded out the day on the men’s side by winning the Senior Boys Championship. On the women’s side Zoe Unger and Adrianna Buitelaar had fantastic races in the Junior Women’s division, finishing 2nd and 4th in a field of 60 runners. Adrianna, who is grade 8, decided to run in the Junior race and was successful in her bid to grab a qualifying spot to the Provincial Championships November 6th. Ally Hutchison had a strong race in the Senior Women’s division to finish in the 8th position.
A big congratulations to all our runners, most of whom are moving on to the BC High School Championships in a week and a half’s time. – Coach Scott
Officials results can be viewed in this PDF file: 2021 Eastern Valley High School Cross Country Results
Fantastic Festival of Cross Country Performances
The JDs performed very well at the Festival of Cross Country meet this past weekend (Oct 2). For many athletes, this was their first meet of the season. Kaiden Gleeson placed 2nd in the 2009 boys race, and Averie Westbrook finished in 3rd for the 2012 girls. Jackson Comozzi, Owen Westergaard, Avery Shulba, Emmit Redekop, and Josiah Boulter also had strong races and finished in ribbon contention for their respective categories.
Thank you, JDs, for representing the club so well in this competitive field!
-Coach Parmvir
The senior runners also represented us proudly this past weekend. Riley Simmonds placed 1st in the U14 division, moving him into the lead for the Lower Mainland cross country series. Adrianna Buitelaar placed 2nd in the U14 division, and Damian Sutton Narrowly missed the medals with a 4th place finish in his division. Mark Molina, Samuel May, Arata Nakanishi, Arie Wassenaar, and Will Vanschagen all ran extremely well in a very competitive U16 boys division, and many of our athletes are continuing to make large leaps forwards every time out.
A big congratulations to all our runners who competed. Well done.
-Coach Scott
UPDATED: Pinetree Classic Cross Country Race Results
Our Valley Royals athletes competed in the 45th annual Pinetree Classic Cross Country Race this past weekend (Sep. 18) in Coquitlam. The meet was well attended, and our athletes all represented themselves proudly against some of the best runners in BC.
Jackson Camozzi won the 2012 boys race, and Riley Simmonds placed 2nd in the 2008 division in a photo finish and with the identical time as the winner. Peyton Cadwell won the 2011 girls race, and Kaiden Gleeson got 3rd in the 2009 boys race. Adrianna Buitelaar ran a strong race despite being a little under the weather to grab the bronze medal in her category. William Steiger, Lexi Smith, Zoe Unger, Mark Molina, and Sam May ran strongly to finish just out of the medals but will be getting stronger with each coming race.
I would like to congratulate all our young athletes who competed and their families who support them. For many it was their first or one of their first races, and each time is a learning experience. Whether it was smiles or tears this past weekend, you should all feel proud of taking on the challenge of running.
Official results are now available: Pinetree Classic Cross Country Results September 18, 2021
