Entering the 2026 season, the Aquinas boys 5K record belonged to John Griffith, who ran a 17:05 in 2021. That mark stood for five years until Vangura broke it earlier this fall with a time of 16:54 at the Aquinas section invitational. The performance came against some of the top Class A and AA teams in the region on Chatham University's Eden Hall campus course. Known for its rolling hills and challenging terrain, the course is not particularly conducive to fast times. Vangura averaged approximately 5:26 per mile, becoming the first Aquinas runner to break the 17-minute barrier. He followed that performance with an even faster race at the Tri-State Invitational, lowering his own record to 16:41, finishing third overall and improving the previous school record by a total of 24 seconds. The record-breaking performances have been part of an outstanding freshman season. Competing against some of the region's best runners, Vangura finished 10th at the Red, White & Blue Invitational, 15th at the PIAA Foundation Meet, and third at the Tri-State Invitational. His times place him among the three fastest freshmen in WPIAL Class A. Vangura's development throughout the season has been just as encouraging as his results. The transition from the 3K distance in middle school to the 5K distance in high school can be difficult, particularly for freshmen competing against juniors and seniors with several additional years of training. As the season has progressed, Vangura has become more comfortable managing his pace, following his race plan, and competing against experienced runners. According to Aquinas cross country coach Mike Grese, his willingness to learn has been a major factor in that improvement. "A key to Isaac's significant improvements as a freshman is his curiosity," said Grese. "He's always asking great questions about how to improve his training, strength, tactics, and mental toughness. He takes those answers and applies them." His competitiveness is another quality that has stood out to Grese. "Isaac is super competitive. We've had workouts where he's barely missed an assigned pace, and he's been so frustrated by it that he asks to run the rep again. That's the kind of drive that makes an outstanding cross country runner." That determination is particularly noticeable late in races, when fatigue begins to affect even the strongest runners. "His competitiveness translates to the course on race day because you can see him fatiguing like everyone else late in a race, but he has an incredible ability to dig deep and maintain his position," Grese said. Vangura's success comes at an exciting time for Aquinas boys cross country, which has a talented group of young runners developing alongside him. "I expect him to continue to break his own record, and with the young and talented team around him, have a few of his teammates try and take it from him in the coming years," Grese said. While Vangura has already accomplished quite a bit in his first season, Grese believes his approach to training will be important to his continued development. "Isaac has big goals for himself, which is great. The important thing is that he's willing to put in the consistent work it takes to achieve them." With three years of high school competition still ahead of him, Vangura has already established himself as one of the top young distance runners in the WPIAL. His 16:41 school record is an impressive starting point, and with the WPIAL championships approaching, he'll have another opportunity to compete against the region's best. -------- Follow Aquinas Athletics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aquinascrusaders/ Follow Aquinas Athletics on X: https://x.com/AquinasAD For the latest Aquinas Academy Athletics news, schedules, results and more, visit: https://aquinascrusaders.org/ #GoAquinas #AquinasAthletics