A Letter to Class of 2026 Freshmen from Loyola Varsity XC Coach Dr. Lalo Díaz

Congratulations on being accepted to join us at Loyola High School! I would like to invite you to take part in a very special athletic program here on campus: the Loyola Cross Country team. For the last 20 years, Loyola XC has been ranked in the Top 10 in the state of California. We have won six California State championships and three CIF Southern Section championships, in addition to two State runner-up and two CIF Southern Section runner-up finishes.

This season, we will be offering three levels of competition: Varsity, JV, and Frosh/Soph. The average number of runners on each team are as follows: Varsity – 10, JV – 30, Frosh/Soph – 35.

Already, the members of next year’s team are beginning their workouts. Aside from their track schedule, the team is running a minimum of 30-45 minutes daily. The team races on an average of once a week during the season. The races are three miles long and vary in difficulty depending upon the course. Races are held in the fall from August until Thanksgiving weekend. Additionally, a large number of our fall cross country runners will go on to participate in Track & Field in the spring.

Lastly, a unique tradition we have at Loyola is a training program at Mammoth Lakes during the early part of August. Further information for this program will be provided in the coming months.

If you would like to become a part of next year’s team, please fill out the following interest form HERE. I will also reach out to you and answer any questions to help you get started for summer training. If you or your parents have any inquiries, please email me at ldiaz@loyolahs.edu.

Thank you for your interest and I hope to see you this summer. Go Cubs! 

Dr. Lalo Díaz (ldiaz@loyolahs.edu)

Head Cross Country Coach | Loyola HS of Los Angeles