This Saturday, The El Segundo High School Cross Country (ESXC) program will host over 1,000 runners from more than 23 XC teams for the 1st Eagle Invitational.
This years event will be at The Lakes at El Segundo and took a coordinated effort from the ESXC athletes, the El Segundo Recreation & Parks, The El Segundo City Council, many volunteers, and of course, the Lakes at El Segundo staff.
Our community’s dedication to encouraging healthy, active lifestyles through community events is a part of what makes it so special. Thank you to the XC Invitational for getting so many young athletes outside, on their feet, and enjoying a friendly competition.
Thoughts from the Leader of Eagle Cross Country
Marcos Bolanos, creator of the XC Invitational, has been the head coach of the El Segundo Cross Country program for 7 years running. He has been proud to watch his students, both male and female, improve steadily each year. This past season, both teams finished in the top 10 of the California State Finals. Impressive!
The inspiration behind the event? The dedication, respect, and hard work of the young athletes on his team. He is proud to showcase their talent and give the rest of So-Cal a taste of what El Segundo is all about.
Bolanos has been an educator and coach at ESHS for 10 years and celebrates El Segundo’s small-town community feel. He hopes to see the XC Invitational become an annual South Bay staple for schools to attend and enjoy. Considering it’s only the event’s first year and it still has managed to attract over 1,000 young runners, he has high hopes of how the event can grow. Ultimately, with corporate sponsorships, he would like a turn out of 40-50 teams with over 2000 runners within the next 5 years.
What to look forward to at the event
The first annual Eagle XC Invitational will be hosted by El Segundo High School at The Lakes Golf Course in our very own El Segundo. 28 teams from across southern California will be attending this unique event on the 8th of September beginning at 8 am.
Over 1100 athletes have registered and will compete in 1 of 10 races. The course is 3 miles long, and spreads itself across the entire Lakes facility.
The El Segundo Eagles will be participating in all races…Including the Varsity Girls Team that’s currently ranked 1st in Southern California! The boys team also finished within the top 10 at state last year. Other strong competitors at the invitational include West Torrance, Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, and Quartz Hill.
2018 should be an interesting year for the ESXC Eagles – the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams had a successful year in 2017 both winning the Ocean League title and placing in the top at the CIF State Championships.
El Segundo Comes Together to Support Eagle Athletics
The event is only possible due to the efforts of so many members of the El Segundo family – Rec & Parks, the City Council, school administrators, the Lakes management, and countless parent volunteers.
This event is a reminder that in El Segundo, we are proud to come together to support our youth and applaud their growth and achievement. Thank you to El Segundo High School, dedicated El Segundo parents, and Coach Marcos Bolanos for helping our young athletes shine.
If you’re free this Saturday, come out to support the El Segundo Eagles and cheer our team on to victory! Visit the XC Invitational Facebook page for details.
