Sept 17, 2025

Concord, CA - The 2025 edition of the De La Salle Cross Country Team is an exciting one that features some experienced runners as well as some up-and-coming talented runners that are ready to make their mark on the big stage. Seniors Heath Salter and Dillon Gaber lead the Spartan Harriers in their quest for an NCS Championship. To start the year, the Spartans traveled down to Santa Barbara to race in the UCSB Invitational. Salter took first place overall in the race and the team finished third. This proved to be a confidence builder for the Spartans to open their season.

Senior Dillon Gaber has yet to race due to an injury but Coach John Pelster hopes to have Gaber back soon. In his place, seniors Danny Accardo and Ryan Cabrera have emerged as senior leaders and racers that can be counted on each time the Spartans run. Juniors Alex Pringle and Michael Harrison have also stepped up. Pringle's consistency has been on display early in the season and Harrison has proven that he is a tough racer with a lot of talent who could ultimately be a difference maker for the Spartans. Sophomore Matteus Owens completes the Varsity 7 and although young, he has shown that he is a savvy racer. Another potential varsity contributor could be junior Davis Miner who is returning from a hip injury, but has the potential to shake things up in the Spartan top-7.

This weekend's Nike Invitational will prove to be an important measuring stick for the Spartans as De La Salle will host some of the top programs at Newhall Park in Concord. Dublin, Granada, Davis and St. John Bosco are a few of the programs that will contend for the top spot in the 30th edition of the Nike Invitational.

The Nike Invitational started in 1995 as a prep for the NCS Championships. During that time, it was difficult to find quality courses for runners so De La Salle decided to start their own event and create a course that could mimic an NCS Championship type course. Coach Pelster, who was an assistant coach at the time, remembers that, "Mills College was the site for the NCS Championship from 1992-1994 and the inception of this event was to create another option for the NCS Championship." 

The course at the Nike Invitational is a strong one that is a mix of gravel and grass. The course has one big hill but besides that, runs fairly flat. The Spartan Harriers will be prepared as their offseason summer training will be on display on Saturday. As Coach Pelster says, "We have a really good group of runners that have a chance to compete with the best in the section and the state." Just as the event started 30 years ago, this event will show our Spartan Harriers where improvement and development needs to be in preparation for the rest of the season and NCS.