ANGEL RUNNERS CELEBRATE NATIONAL SIGNING DAY

From left: Henry Bennett, Scout Chomas, Julieta Ochoa sign their national letters of intent (2/4/26)

It was a long awaited and hard-earned celebration for the 2026 East Seniors who gathered in the Calloway Gym on the afternoon of February 4th to officially sign their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. The Track and Cross Country teams got to witness three of our school’s all-time greats partake in this yearly tradition. Scout Chomas (Middlebury), Julieta Ochoa (Scripps-Williams-Claremont), and Henry Bennett (St. Olaf) will get to compete pressure-free on the track this Spring, having secured their spots at their respective colleges. Even more impressive is the elite academic institutions that they will be attending as student-athletes!

Scout Chomas

Chomas, who holds PR’s of 18:09.10 in the 5K (2nd fastest in East history), 11:46.61 in the 3200m, 5:10.11 in the 1600m (3rd fastest in East history),2:23.57 in the 800m, and 1:03.10 in the 400m, will compete for Middlebury College in Vermont. Last season, she was a key member of the 4x800m Relay team that took 4th at the State meet, and has also been a major contributor to the meteoric rise of the girls XC team, helping lead them to a 10th place finish at the 5A State Meet in 2025. A leader on and off the track, Scout will undoubtedly make Middlebury a better team just as she has East.

From Scout- “I have been running since I was a little kid and have loved racing for years. I came into high school with no sense of how I would compare to more experienced runners and have since had the privilege of learning about the sport, the training, and how to race. The East team has been my community for all of high school and I am so excited to experience that community again in college.”

Julieta Ochoa

Ochoa is ranked 3rd in East history in both the 5K (18:15.0) and 1600m (5:13.63), and is 4th in the 3200m (11:39.78). She will be attending Scripps College in Claremont, CA and will compete in Track and XC for the combined team from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Julieta combined with fellow Seniors Chomas and Mary Clare Nussbaum in their incredible 10th place finish at the 2025 State XC meet. We are grateful and excited to have Julieta’s leadership and ability for one more Track season in 2026 before she continues her athletic and academic career at Scripps!

From Julieta- “I have been running since 5th grade and never stopped! I started out not very seriously, but enjoyed the sport enough to continue throughout high school. My younger self would’ve never imagined I’d end up running in college. But, there was no way I could keep myself from doing something that brought me so much joy, made me feel strong, and gave me many lasting friendships.”

Henry Bennett

Bennett, who is the 4th fastest 3200m runner in East History (9:34.03), 7th fastest ever in the 5K, and 9th fastest in the 1600m (4:30.90), will be competing at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Henry had an incredible 2025 XC season, finishing 6th at the Region 4 meet, leading his team to an unexpected berth in the 5A State meet, where he finished 45th as an individual. He also finished 2nd at the City League Championships, 4th in the Flyin’ Ryan Invite, and won the season opening Washington Park Invite. A quiet leader but fierce competitor throughout his career with the Angels, Henry will lead us for one more season on the track before heading to Minnesota to run for the Oles.

From Henry- “During my athletic journey at East I’ve learned to persevere through the lows and to appreciate through the highs. Running has taught me to trust the process and to find comfort in the pain. As Coach Kohuth would say, East Cross Country and Track has taught me to just have fun! I look forward to carrying these same sentiments to the next level at St. Olaf!”

Coach Kohuth introduces his amazing athletes