Imagine stepping before a start line or setting in your blocks, meanwhile you await the sound that kills all the pre-nerves: the deafening fire of a starter’s pistol.  This panic and nervousness is a common experience among athletes before a game or race, and it’s no different for one of the fastest tenth graders in the country, Ayala’s very own Bryson Caganap.

“Before a race, it feels like the longest hours of my life until the start. No one can help feeling a bit nervous,” Bryson Caganap (10) said.

Caganap’s athletic career stemmed from an early love of sports. When Caganap was just five years old, he started playing baseball. He participated in a variety of sports, including basketball, soccer, and taekwondo. His running career, which led him to be one of the fastest in the country for his grade, began at 11-years-old.

“When I first started, I did not like running at all and would rather play basketball. But the team grew on me, and eventually so did the feeling of competing. I don’t think there’s a single feeling better than being able to compete against faster runners and just being able to become faster myself,” Caganap said.

This eventual growth of admiration by him for the sport that millions compete in led him to Flash, one of Chino Hills’ most prestigious running clubs, where he met some of his eventual high school teammates. When Caganap was on Flash for his last season with the club, he made it to Nike’s Outdoor Nationals (NON) where he would record a 4:43.5 mile, beating 81 of the country’s best long-distance runners for middle school. This resulted in a 17th-place finish that kick-started his high school career. Caganap’s first cross-country (XC) high school season featured many different events that would shape him for the rest of his career. Ayala’s former XC coach, Tony Dimarco, was Caganap’s coach when he joined in the summer of 2024.  

“I think before joining, I never really pushed myself to my absolute limits. Dimarco pushed me to that point,” Caganap said.​

Earlier that season, on top of Dimarco’s tough departure as a coach and mentor for Caganap, Ayala’s XC received one of their biggest heartbreaks. After a grueling season, referred to as Ayala’s best season, featuring the likes of Ayala’s most talented runners, ended in Ayala not being able to compete at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Finals. This was due to the incorrect population size being reported for the school, resulting in severe consequences.

However, Caganap pushed through the obstacles, and he made his first XC and track season one of his most memorable years. Caganap ran a 14:37 3-mile, a 4:22 mile at NON, and ended up making the Masters meet, a CIF event where the southern section’s best track runners compete. 

On top of his athletic achievements, Caganap is also a stellar teammate, providing support to his fellow runners amidst his busy running career.

“He’s always there to give me that advice when I need it,” Jacob Alviar (10), one of Caganap’s teammates, said.

The adversity that Caganap faced at the beginning of his high school career shaped him for the rest of his promising athletic journey at Ayala, now coached by Caroline Cobo, as they hope to add another CIF banner this season.

“I would not be surprised in the slightest if Bryson used his talents and discipline to make a career out of running,” Daniel Shan (10), a teammate and friend of Caganap, said.