Acalanes Cross Country opened its 2026 season Saturday morning with the inaugural Acalanes Invitational, bringing runners from across the Bay Area to Lafayette.
For the Dons, the morning was a chance to turn weeks of summer training into actual race results. Across the varsity, JV and freshman/sophomore races, Acalanes had strong representation throughout the field, with personal bests and several tightly packed groups.
The varsity boys were led by senior Alexander Hagen, who finished 17th overall in 10:38.2, a personal best. Sophomore Dane Darby was next for the Dons in 25th at 10:46.9, followed by junior David Ellerbrock, who finished 28th in 10:49.2.
The next two Acalanes runners came across the line together. Sophomores Jason Rossetter and Matt Roberts finished 39th and 40th in 11:01.8 and 11:03.9, respectively. The five Dons were separated by just 25.7 seconds, giving Acalanes a compact group at the front of its lineup.
The varsity girls were led by an especially young group. Freshmen Harper Blair and Naya Ellis finished 26th and 27th overall, running 13:19.7 and 13:21.2. Sophomore Charlotte Keyser followed in 53rd at 14:20.4, with sophomores Lucy Hamilton and Emilia Deutsch Stella finishing 63rd and 67th in 14:55.2 and 15:05.2.
All five of the varsity girls’ top finishers recorded personal bests. With a lineup made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores, the group has considerable opportunity to develop together throughout the season.
The freshman/sophomore races added even more depth to the picture. Sophomore Violette Cline finished 16th in 14:27.0, with freshman Georgia Hansen right behind her in 18th at 14:37.5. Sophomore Delana Tellez was 21st in 14:46.2. All three recorded personal bests.
On the JV boys side, sophomore Aidan Burley led the Dons with a 10th-place finish in 11:56.0. Junior Sebastian Springfield was 15th at 12:08.0, followed by junior Milo Anderson in 36th at 13:06.5.
Acalanes then had a particularly tight group with Lachlan Tidd finishing in 13:19.0, Emmett Fretwell in 13:19.4 and Zane Bruschi in 13:20.5. Junior Brock Garland followed in 13:47.9, while Charles McIlwain crossed in 13:56.5.
The JV girls had one of the closest Acalanes finishes of the morning. Seniors Samantha Griscavage and Julia Kunz finished just four-tenths of a second apart, with Griscavage running 16:44.0 and Kunz 16:44.4. Both were marked as personal bests.
Acalanes is also coming off a 2025 season in which the boys returned to the State Championships for the first time since 2019. This year’s team has a new group of runners and a new season ahead of it, but Saturday provided an early glimpse at the pieces that could make the Dons competitive again.
The inaugural Acalanes Invitational gave the Dons the opportunity to race at home while creating what will hopefully become a recurring event on the Bay Area cross country calendar. More importantly for our runners, it provided a first benchmark and a starting point from which they can measure their progress over the next several months. GO DONS!