The Jesuit High School Sacramento cross country team has a long history of excellence. This year, they added yet another chapter to that storied legacy, taking home the 10th State Championship title in program history – more than any other high school in California.

The team began the year with a roaring start, winning their first five meets, including the prestigious Nike Portland Invitational. They cruised through the Sierra Foothill league, taking home the league title. Moving on to subsections and sections, the team would continue to dominate, grabbing first place in both meets.

The State Championship on Nov. 30 was another chance for Jesuit to win big – and win they did, finishing in first place over the best programs in the state. The win also elevated Jesuit’s State Championship tally to 10, beating out McFarland High School at 9 for the most in the state.

Isaac Abbott ’26 attributes the success to a year of hard work fueled by last year’s disappointing fourth place finish. 

“We put a lot of work into it ever since last season when we came up short of the podium and got fourth place,” Isaac said. “It was on our minds that we didn’t want that feeling again, coming up short, and for 365 days we were gonna be working towards that 10th state championship and holding each other accountable. So when all that hard work really did pay off and we were able to hold that trophy in our arms and celebrate together, it was an amazing moment and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Placing well at the state championship is the goal for many programs, but Jesuit’s aspirations didn’t end there, as they had earned a spot at the Nike Cross National Championships in Portland, Oregon. There, the team finished off the already historic season by clinching 11th place nationally, with Isaac, Matthew Ogilvie ’27, Kyle Jackary ’26, and Drake Hoferer ’26 all reaching a spot among the top 100 runners in the meet, coming in at 53rd, 76th, 80th, and 95th place respectively.

Head Cross Country Coach Walt Lange, the architect behind Jesuit’s decades of cross country dominance, believes that what separated this team from the rest was their chemistry and cohesiveness as a unit.

“The guys have really bonded and treated each other well, [and] encouraged each other,” Coach Lange said. “So they’ve got a real team cohesiveness that not all teams necessarily have. Most of the time they’re just stuck together like glue; training and racing, and they bring confidence and they’re very thoughtful of their teammates, whether it’s the top guy on the team or the last guy on the team.”

A collection of athletes that are not only talented but are also driven and supportive of each other like this is rare to see, even for a dominant program like Jesuit. The attitude of these elite runners is what propelled the team to dominance. 

“They were successful because they put the team’s success above their individual success,” said Cross Country Assistant Coach Tom Witzgall ’98. “We had four different number one runners this year and it didn’t really matter who led the team on a particular day. They were all happy for each other, […] and work together at practice to make everyone better.”

The team looks to do even better in the next season. With six of their seven starting varsity runners returning, runner Drake Hoferer ’26 has high hopes for the future. 

“It would be really cool to repeat,” Drake said. “They say it’s harder to repeat, so being able to do that and follow in the footsteps of the team in the ’90s – that’d be really cool. And then if we’re able to also complete that goal, I’d say now that [since] we have that experience under our belt from this year, we’d definitely be looking for a higher placement [in nationals]. Top five would be really cool for all of us.”

With a historic season in the books, the Jesuit cross country team is committed to not rest on their laurels and continue pushing themselves to greatness. Their exemplary work ethic and brotherly bond is what the Jesuit community should strive for.