When Mia Luna (’26) laced up a pair of running shoes for the first time as an eighth grader at Brea Junior High School, she did not know at the time that she was joining a family tradition of distance running. While traversing the very same courses her uncles, Daniel (’00) and Christopher Rosales (’04), had once raced for BOHS, Luna discovered both a new pursuit and a family legacy.
Luna’s immediate response to joining the Bobcats’ cross country team was informing her uncles. “I was excited to tell them I joined the team because that’s where I got it from, and I knew that they would be happy that I would be trying too,” Luna said.
“Watching her commit herself so wholeheartedly to her new sport was inspiring,” Christopher, who competed on the Wildcat cross country team as a freshman and sophomore, said.
After discovering his niece’s new interest in running, Christopher took her to A Snail’s Pace in Brea to get her properly fitted for new shoes.
With two veteran runners in her immediate family, she often receives racing and practice tips, and “just overall advice on things to do,” according to Luna.
“Around her sophomore summer I can clearly remember several times when we met up, and she would run while I rode alongside on my mountain bike,” Christopher said.
But more than helping Luna become an All-League runner, the training sessions have brought Luna and her uncles closer together. According to Christopher, their shared cross country experience gives them “time to talk, bond, and share in her progress.”
“Being there for her, encouraging her, and sharing in her training has been a big part of helping her grow into the athlete she is today,” Christopher said.
Daniel, who ran varsity cross country from his sophomore through senior years, said, “I love it because it’s something we can connect on; it’s definitely kept us close.”
Luna has taken her uncle’s advice, and ran with it.
As a member of varsity cross country since her freshman year, Luna has earned All-League honors three times, and has made California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) post-season races once as a team, and twice as an individual.
Luna and her uncle’s lives have also intersected in competitions. In the 5-kilometer, her best time thus far is a 19:49 at the Clovis Invitational in 2023, a race Daniel ran as a senior in 1999. (Luna heads to Fresno’s Woodland Park this weekend for her final race at the prestigious invite.)
“Seeing her run the same courses I ran years ago is a cool thing to bond over,” Daniel said.
Luna’s running success isn’t just in cross country in the fall, however. In track and field in the spring she has earned varsity’s “Most Outstanding” award for the past three years and medaled in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter events last season. In the 1600m, Luna ran a 5:26 at the Crestview League Championships May 2, finishing in seventh place. At the West Coast Classic Invite in Long Beach April 12, she placed second in the 3200m.
Daniel attributes “Boo’s” (as he affectionately calls Luna) achievements to her industriousness. “All Boo’s success is her own,” Daniel said. “That’s the great thing about running: Nobody can put in the work for you.”
Luna’s family isn’t only involved in the behind-the-scenes preparation, but they also show up to every meet, often wearing shirts with her name emblazoned across them, cheering her on.
“I like to think I’m her loudest fan. I make it to as many races as I can,” Daniel said. “I hope I set a good example for her, and she sees me as someone who also puts my all into everything I do.”
It’s that enduring — and vocal — support that gives Luna an extra boost while sprinting across 3-mile courses, including last weekend’s 19:26 dash at the 45th Annual Sundevil Invitational in San Diego, earning her 7th place out of 70 runners and helping the Wildcats place second as a team.
“My whole family supports me to the fullest. Every race they are there to support me, no matter the time or place,” Luna said. “I wouldn’t be where I am at now without them.”