Senior Liana Lee took the lead at mile three.

The Dougherty Valley cross country captain sprinted ahead of the pack at the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) Championships on Nov. 4, followed closely by a contender from San Ramon Valley High. Lee didn’t know if she was speeding up or the other girl was slowing down, but her lead was growing.

“I was able to build about a 10-second distance between us,” she recalled. “That last mile was when I pulled away.”

Lee finished the three-mile course in first place, winning the title of EBAL Player of the Year.

“Winning wasn’t set in stone. It wasn’t really on my to-do list,” she joked. “But it was really cool getting first place.”

Lee’s outstanding performance isn’t an isolated incident — her senior year has been filled with striking results at various meets. At the Scott Bauhs Invitational on Sept. 30, she placed first out of 104 athletes. On Oct. 21, she set a school record for the course at the Mariner Invitational.

“Liana’s senior campaign has been nothing short of amazing,” cross country head coach Lauren Nakaso said. “She is a great athlete [and] is so humble.”

Interestingly enough, running started as no more than a casual pursuit for Lee when she was in eighth grade.

“I think it was ironic because when I first started running, I was like, ‘I’m never going to run a race,’” she said.

In part due to her friends’ confidence in her talent, Lee signed up for the cross country team. Looking back, she finds it amusing that she was uncertain about joining in the first place.