{"id":284786,"date":"2011-01-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-13T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/cross-country-stars-legacy-transforms-ljhs-track-team\/"},"modified":"2011-01-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-01-13T08:00:00","slug":"cross-country-stars-legacy-transforms-ljhs-track-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/cross-country-stars-legacy-transforms-ljhs-track-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross country stars\u2019 legacy transforms LJHS track team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seniors Alex Eve and Andrew Farkas are leaving behind a tremendous legacy as the stars of the La Jolla High School boys cross country team. “They\u2019ll be remembered much longer than their four years here,” head coach Robert McCarthy said. The dynamic duo wrapped up their LJHS careers at the Foot Locker Cross Country Regional Championships on Dec. 4. Eve finished 47th, competing against the best high school runners west of Colorado, while Farkas placed a very respectable 95th. Andrew considers himself to be more suited to the spring track season but he\u2019s displayed excellent abilities as a long-distance runner, including making the all-state third team. A tireless workhorse, McCarthy said Andrew started talking about the upcoming track season within hours of his last cross country race. “I\u2019m itching to get out there,” Farkas reiterated during a mandated two-week break over the holidays. The tandem\u2019s competitive spirit and dedication has transformed the entire program and has also resulted in their vastly improved individual performances. “[Training together] has definitely been beneficial because we\u2019re different types of runners,” Farkas said. McCarthy said the two are great workout partners. “It doesn\u2019t matter who had the better day,” he said. “They\u2019re always high-fiving each other and encouraging everybody behind them as well.” Eve showed off his talents at the state championships, finishing an outstanding seventh place overall, earning a place on the all-state first team. “State was probably one of the best races I\u2019ve had in my life,” Eve said. “I made a big surge at the end. I was really happy when I found out how it ended.” McCarthy said he\u2019s expecting Alex to take the momentum of his cross country finish into the track season. But it isn\u2019t just athletics these boys thrive at. Eve holds a 4.5 GPA and recently gave back to the community by creating a prostate cancer fundraiser campaign at school. Participants grew out their mustaches during the month of November and the group was able raise 700 dollars. “It was a big success, I wanted to do something original and something I could relate to,” Eve said. “I don\u2019t think prostate cancer is made aware of as much as it should be.” While Eve and Farkas were the clear stars of the Vikings squad this season, they also served as the mentors and leaders of the team. The two worked hard over the summer to coordinate and plan team workouts. “We both got really involved over the summer in recruiting and stuff like that,” Farkas said. “We\u2019re leaving behind a good sophomore class that\u2019s capable of anything at the CIF level. They could be contenders at the state meet next year and definitely in two years. That\u2019s really encouraging, knowing you can be proud of getting that started.” Both Alex and Andrew are planning to run in college but they are still narrowing down their final decisions. Farkas posted a 4.1 GPA this past semester and is looking at the University of California, Santa Barbara or a school in Colorado or Michigan. Eve is interested in Middlebury College in Vermont and a couple of other schools in the northeast.