I'd say the Panthers men's and women's cross country teams are leaving quite a legacy.
Hartnell just won its ninth straight Coast Conference men's team title while the women's ran off with their sixth straight conference championship.
An expectation? Absolutely.
Yet, when you look at these rosters, the question that pops out is who are these runners?
They are not the households names you'd remember in high school, although nearly every one of them competed at a local high school.
What Hartnell coach Chris Zepeda has done is build off the programs legacy by getting runners to believe and put in the work.
Patrick Olson had success at Aptos. But two years at Hartnell has turned him into one of the elite runners in Northern California.
Monica Ruelas has gone from being competitive to chasing potential All-American status as one of the top distances aces in the state.
The sophomore won her fourth straight race at the conference finals, clocking 18:35 over 3.01 miles. She was one of only two athletes to dip under 19 minutes, joined by teammate Daniela Salazar.
The Panthers women's team is a legit state contender. Not one of these runners took part in a state high school meet.
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