THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS ROCK IN FRESNO

THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS ROCK IN FRESNO!!! A razor thin margin of victory in the women's competition and a dominant performance on the men's side highlight the days events.

(11/22/08)

The annual gathering in Fresno for this year's CCCAA State College Cross Country Championships had been one of the most anticipated in recent memory as both the men's and women's competitions were expected to be very hotly contested battles in which several teams had the ability to take the title.

Conditions were ideal for a fast race as the highly anticipated women's competition prepared to get under way (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

OCC's Crystal Reed and Mt. SAC's Christine Cortez went to the front just prior to the one mile mark of the race. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

The conditions were nearly perfect as cool, damp and foggy weather started to give way to crisp sunshine with the temperatures in the low 60's right as the women toed the line at 10:00am. The pre-meet favorites, number one ranked Southwestern and number two ranked Orange Coast were looked upon as the main teams to watch. However, that did not negate several other teams that were seen as possible squads that could sneak their way in and grab the title. Glendale, the defending state champion, was just coming off their third consecutive Southern California Regional title. Fourth ranked Cerritos won the always tough South Coast Conference and had been one of the best packing teams all year. Mt. SAC, came off a very strong performance at the So Cal Regional and had two of the top runners in the state in Christine Cortez and Lenore Moreno. Finally, Riverside's Lady Tigers had been catching a lot of attention as well with their fine performance at the Regionals.

The women's field continues to make its way just past the mile mark of the race. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

When the gun went off, it was apparent that OCC's Crystal Reed had every intention of defending her individual state title as she went to the front of the pack almost immediately. Reed set a blistering pace and had already opened up a commanding lead by the second mile marker. Leading a pack of runners behind Reed was Mt. SAC's Christine Cortez. The pack also included Reed's teammate, Cassie Mitchell, Cortez's Mountie teammate, Lenore Moreno as well as Glendale standout, Katie Dunn.

A fast pack, led by OCC's Kimone Hewitt and includes College of the Sequoias Sierra Gonzalez, Mt. SAC's Emilia Rincon and Cerritos's Lucy Beuster and Robyn Gugianna, heads toward the first mile marker. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

Reed continued her dominant performance, taking the individual title by 31 seconds. Cortez, meanwhile, slightly separated herself from Mitchell and Moreno and was able to get the runner-up spot in an excellent time of 18:07. Mitchell was third in 18:09 with Moreno, placing 4th in 18:11 and Dunn who was able to outlast a fast closing Madelyn Stoltz of Moorpark for 5th.

Moorpark's Madeline Stoltz leads OCC's Cassie Mitchell, Glendale's Katie Dunn and Southwestern's Karla Atencio just past the two mile mark of the race. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

The team competition proved to be every bit as close as the Dunn-Stoltz finish. OCC, with the 1st and 3rd place finish of their top two athletes seemed to get them off to a great start. Yet, Glendale, managed to put 3 in front of OCC's 3rd finisher. Southwestern, also showed they were going for the victory as they had 4 athletes in the top 16. OCC countered with their final two finishers in the 31st and 33rd positions. Mt. SAC with it's two in the top five also made a statement and Cerritos and Riverside with four in the top 35 tried to make their valiant efforts to get into the top three.

Santa Ana's Diana Zapata and Glendale's Justina Sadauskaite sprint towards the finish with Southwestern's Monica Carrillo giving chase. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

After some nail biting minutes for the coaches, OCC had just enough to hold off Glendale by a scant two points for the title. Southwestern finished a mere 7 points back for third with Mt. SAC placing 4th, Cerritos 5th and Riverside in 6th.

Hartnell's Daniel Tapia, took the early lead as the men's field headed into the one mile marker. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

In the men's competition, all eyes were on San Bernardino Valley and San Diego Mesa, as the two dominant men's programs squared off. As expected, both team's big guns were out for both individual and team glory.

The men's field continues to head towards the one mile mark with many top runners still in the hunt. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

Mesa's Muluken Beressa, maybe the most dominant runner of the year, took a cue from Crystal Reed and went right to the front after the first mile marker. After the lead pack's blazing first mile, Beressa pulled away to take the lead.

Southwestern's Joshua Vargas, leads a contingent of runners that includes San Diego Mesa's Barrett Tilley and Mike Denman. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

As Beressa was leading in the individual ranks, the San Bernardino team showed why they were the two time defending champions as they packed very well, led by their standout, Carlo Perez. Perez battled most of the race with Hartnell's Daniel Tapia and LA Valley's Andrew Salg.

San Diego Mesa's Muluken Beressa appears to be comfortable as he heads into the last mile of the race on his way to the individual title. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

Beressa continued his blistering pace all the way into the finish line where he won the individual title going away in a very fast 19:57. He was followed by Tapia and Perez, with Andrew Salg and Perez's teammate, Matt Sartori rounding out the top five.

San Bernardino's Matt Sartori, leads LA Valley's Andrew Salg, Rio Hondo's Ruben Martinez and American River's Anthony Costales with one mile to go in the race. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

SBVC followed their top two athletes with Jared Bain placing 10th overall and Art Parra and Manuel Bueno finishing 18th and 21st respectively. With all five of their scoring runners in the top 21, it was going to take a unbelievably dominant performance to unseat the defending champions. Mesa, gave a heroic effort with three runners in the top 13, but was not able to match SBVC as the defending champions went onto to the 3-peat.

Runners continue to file into the finish of the men's race. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

The reflection of Bob Rush is seen on his computer screen as he examines the results from the men's competition. This was the first year that timing chips were used for the race instead of the traditional pull tag. The new system was met with great praise. (photo, courtesy of John Goldman)

In the battle for third, Orange Coast did not have any runners in the top 15, however, were able to get their five scoring finishers in the top 43 which was good enough to grab the third position. Rio Hondo, behind the front running efforts of Ruben Martinez who placed 6th overall was able to parlay that with teammate Ulises Lorenzo top 25 finish to lead their team to a 4th place overall finish. Mt. SAC, behind the efforts of Eric Eyman and Luis Medina were able to grab the 5th place team finish.

Results-- Men and Women

THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET WILL UTILIZE CHIP TIMING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY

State Meet organizers today announced that for the first time in California Community College State Cross Country Championship history, they will utilize the state of the art chip timing system.

Chip timing is used by most major road race and NCAA Championship competitions. The system utilizes a tag/chip that is attached to each athlete's shoe. As the participant crosses the finish line, they will run over a timing mat which electronically reads the chip and then automatically records the runners finishing time and place. Scoring of the meet and results can be done almost instantaneously.

Please click on the link below to read the instructions on the timing chip.

Timing chip info

THE SO CAL CHAMPIONSHIPS PROVE TO BE AN EXCITING CONTEST THAT SHOWCASES CHAMPIONS AND SURPRISES!!!

(11/08/08)

The Southern California Regional Championships demonstrated that many of the top teams are ready for the State Championships. It also proved that some teams that were not expected to challenge are now forces to reckon with, while still others who were expected to make their moves came up short.

In the women's competition, OCC's Crystal Reed took the early lead and looked to be on her way to an easy victory. However, a wrong turn cost her to relinquish that lead and fall way off the pace, forcing her to weave her way back through the field. Fortunately for the Pirates, Reed's teammate Cassie Mitchell, was able to pick up where she left off and move to the lead. Mitchell went on to win the race by 10 seconds over Southwestern's Aurora Scott in a time of 17:48.

Glendale was able to take advantage of the opportunity, as Katie Dunn led a charge of three Glendale athletes in the top fifteen that included Justina Sadauskaite and Brigette Fernandez. Southwestern, only running with six athletes, however, countered with three in the top five with Karla Atencio and Monica Carrillo having strong performances.

OCC continued to fight back with other strong performances by Andrea Guerra and Margaret McDuffee who placed 8th and 16th respectively. However, Glendale, with all five of their athletes in the top 26 was good enough as the defending state champions won their third consecutive Southern California Regional title. Southwestern was second with OCC holding on for third. Other notable teams that moved on easily were, the Riverside women (ranked 5th) who placed 4th, Mt. SAC (ranked 6th) who placed 5th and Cerritos (ranked 4th) who placed 6th.

The other qualifying teams were Santa Ana, Saddleback, SD Mesa, College of the Desert, Long Beach, Moorpark, Rio Hondo, and Cuesta.

In the men's competition, San Bernardino and San Diego Mesa were being looked at to continue their rivalry as the two top ranked teams in the Southern Region squared off. However, in the individual competition, El Camino's Steven Calise and Glendale's Nathan Sellers waged a very exciting battle. The two athletes ran very close together all the way to when they re-entered the soccer complex where Calise was able to hold off a hard charging Sellers to win by a narrow two second margin in a time of 20:04.

In the team competition, however, San Bernardino continued to prove that it runs best at the big meets. Carlos Perez looks to be ready for Fresno as he placed third overall and led a contingent of three SBVC athletes in the top seven as Matthew Sartori and Jarid Bain finished 5th and 7th overall respectively.

Orange Coast had a fine performance from it's men's squad as they had three athletes in the top twenty one led by Luis Gallardo and Pedro Saucedo finishing 11th and 12th respectively. SD Mesa, who appeared to be saving their best efforts for Fresno grabbed third.

After the first three teams there was a very crowded group between the 4th, 5th and 6th spots as only four points separated Mt. SAC from the hard charging teams of Cerritos and Riverside.

The rest of the qualifying teams were Rio Hondo, Saddleback, El Camino, Glendale, Ventura, Santa Ana, Cuesta and LA Trade Tech.

Results-- Men Women

THE OEC CHAMPIONSHIPS TURNS INTO THE DOUBLE VICTORY FOR ORANGE COAST!

(11/1/08)

The Orange Empire Conference Championships turned into a great day for the host school Orange Coast as they took home both the men’s and women’s titles from the meet held at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa on Saturday morning.

In the women’s race, defending state champion Crystal Reed successfully defended her OEC individual championship, winning in a time of 18:35. She was followed by teammate Cassie Mitchell who placed 2^nd overall.

Orange Coast, however, did not go unchallenged. Riverside, led by Casey Glassy, who placed 4^th overall, managed to get 5 runners in the top 11. However, OCC was able to place 5 runners in the top 8 which gave them 17 point victory over the Lady Tigers of 23-40.

Other outstanding performances were turned in by Santa Ana’s Diana Zapata, who placed 3^rd overall and Saddleback’s Ines Flores who finished 15^th overall respectively.

On the men’s side, it proved to a very close contest between OCC and Riverside once again, as both teams vied for the title. OCC’s Russell Westphal led all runners as he took the individual championship, winning the race in an excellent time of 20:08. However, Riverside placed 2^nd and 3^rd with Juan Ruiz and Jeff Pelarde. Yet, OCC was able to get three more runners ahead of Riverside’s third which cemented the victory. The final tally was 32-46 in favor of the Pirates.

Other notable performances were turned in by Saddleback’s outstanding group of runners, Chris McDonald, Matt Van Dyke, Bobby Stangl, and AJ Kimura who placed 4^th, 7^th , 11^th and 13^th respectively, good enough to earn Saddleback the third place finish.

Results-- Men Women

THE CERRITOS WOMEN AND THE MT. SAC MEN ARE TOPS AT THE SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS!

(10/31/08)

In what is always one of the toughest conference championship meets of the year, the Cerritos women and the Mt. SAC men were crowned winners at the South Coast Conference Championships at Columbia Park in Torrance this afternoon.

The women's competition figured to be a battle between the 4th ranked Cerritos team and the 6th ranked Mt. SAC squad. That logic proved to be correct as the two schools combined for ten of the top 15 spots. Mt. SAC was led by Christine Cortez who seems to be rounding into championship form as she went on to the win in a time of 18:25. She was followed by teammate, Lenore Moreno who placed 2nd overall. However, Cerritos countered with 5 of the next 8 spots led by Shannon Simpson who placed 3rd and Sarah Muniz who grabbed 6th overall.

The Mounties were able place 7 women in the top 20, yet, the Cerritos onslaught of 7 in the top 15 proved to be the difference maker as they went on to the team victory with a score of 31 to the Mounties 42. Long Beach City placed third with a score of 98.

Other outstanding performances were turned in by El Camino's Courtney Stephens who placed 4th overall and LBCC's Jaasmin Pina, who placed 5th overall respectively.

The men's competition featured 3 teams ranked in the top ten with Mt. SAC (5th), El Camino (6th) and Cerritos (10th) lining up at the start. El Camino's Steven Calise was one of the favorites to bring home a victory and he did not disappoint as he went to the lead almost immediately and never relinquished it.

Calise went onto to the individual victory, however, Mt. SAC behind Luis Medina and Eric Eyman placed 2nd and 3rd leading a charge of Mounties that saw four runners in the top 15. El Camino battled back with three in the top ten and Cerritos also fought furiously with 4 in the top 14, led by Angel Aguirre who placed 7th overall.

In the end, however, Mt. SAC's 3 in the top 5 proved to be too much for anyone to overcome as they went onto the victory by a 19 point margin. El Camino was able to hold off Cerritos by 12 points to place 2nd overall.

Other outstanding individual performances were turned in by East LA's Juan Estrella who placed 4th and LA Trade Tech's Alejandro Mendez who placed 6th overall respectively.

Full Meet Results

THE SAN BERNARDINO MEN DOMINATE WHILE THE RIO HONDO WOMEN PULL OFF THE UPSET AT THE FC CHAMPIONSHIPS!

(10/29/08)

Story by Kevin Barda

On a 85 degree day in Barstow the San Bernardino Men continue their way while the Rio Hondo Women pull off the win at the Foothill Conference Championships.

The Rio Hondo women, ranked 13th in SoCal, pulled off an upset against 8th ranked College of the Desert to win the Foothill Conference. The race was very closely contested all the way to the finish with no one sure of the results until the scores came out. It was RHC edging COD 35-38. COD had all 5 runners in the top 10 but RHC sealed their fate with Roxy Raigosa getting second overall and only one point in the team score. This was all RHC needed as the rest of the team kept the COD runners in sight. The individual title went to Melissa Olmos who won the race with a 44 second margin over RHC's Roxy Raigosa. The final team scores were RHC 35, COD 38, Victor Valley 69, SBVC 79.

On the men's side it was business as usual as San Bernardino put their top 7 in the top 9 overall winning easily 22-50 over Rio Hondo. The race for the team title and the individual title were never in question as Carlos Perez (SBVC) built a lead early and was never challenged while his teammates packed into the top ten sealing the victory early.

The three non-SBVC runners to crack the top ten and get All-Conference were RHC's Ruben Martinez (2nd), COD's Luis Pimentel (4th), and RHC's Ulises Lorenzo (10th). The Individual title went to Carlos Perez with a time of 20:27. The final team scores were SBVC 22, Rio Hondo 50, College of the Desert 98, Victor Valley College 105, Antelope Valley College 121, Barstow College 168.

Results- Men's Ind. Men's Team Women's Ind. Women's Team

THE PCC CHAMPIONSHIPS SHOW THE DOMINANCE OF THE SOUTHWESTERN WOMEN AND THE MESA MEN!

The Pacific Coast Conference Championships turned into a demonstration of dominance for the Southwestern women and the San Diego Mesa men as both schools routed the competition to take their conference titles.

In the women’s competition, Southwestern proved to be every bit as good as their number 1 ranking indicates as they led a sweep of the competition, with the first 6 finishing runners wearing Southwestern colors.

SW’s Karla Atencio won the competition, and started a parade of SW athletes which included Aurora Scott and Monica Carrillo. With the sweep, SW only scored the minimum 15 points, beating second place team San Diego Mesa by a comfortable margin.

Other notable performances included, San Diego Mesa’ Michelle Thompson who took 7^th overall.

The men’s competition was not much closer as San Diego Mesa won accumulating a mere 18 points. Muluken Beressa seems to be one of the leading candidates to take the individual state title as he rounded into championship form by winning the conference, defeating teammates Marcos Corona and Bernardo Behena who placed 2 and 4^th respectively. Southwestern placed 2^nd behind the fine performance of Joshua Vargas who placed 3^rd overall.

Results-- Men Women

SANTA BARBARA'S LARGE FIELD GIVES INSIGHT INTO FINAL WEEKS OF THE YEAR Over 20 teams toe the line for the beautiful course on the shore

(10/18/08)

Certainly, one of the most scenic courses in the state would have to be the one at Leadbetter Beach which serves as the site for the the annual Santa Barbara Invitational. This year, the field was one of the largest in recent memory as over 20 teams were in attendance.

In a race that featured four of the top six ranked teams, Orange Coast kept its winning streak alive with outstanding performances turned in by Crystal Reed, Cassie Mitchell and Andrea Guerra as each of those runners placed in the top ten. Other fine performances were turned in by the Glendale squad who was led by Katie Dunn who placed 2nd overall and had three runners in the top ten. Cerritos, was led by steeplechaser Sara Muniz who was the first of a Cerritos charge of 5 runners in the top 16. In the end Glendale was able to hold off Cerritos by a mere 8 points, Riverside grabbed the 4th team position with 69 points.

In the men's contest, nearly 200 runners participated. The team that led the way was the Riverside squad who scored 52 points giving them the victory over a very good College of the Sequoias team that was led by individual winner, David Sanchez. Juan Ruiz led the way for the Tigers as Riverside placed three runners in the top 6.

They were followed by El Camino who placed third behind their star runner Steven Calise. The fifth ranked El Camino squad placed three runners in the top 25. Other outstanding performances were turned in by East LA's Jorge Rojas who placed 4th overall, Rio Hondo's Ruben Martinez who was 7th and LA Trade Tech's Alejandro Mendez who was 8th.

Results--- Men's Ind. Men's Team Women's Ind. Women's Team

THE MT. SAC INVITE SHOWS TEAMS PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME Southwestern is impressive in dominant victory while the Mt. SAC men team receive a challenge

(10/17/08)

The Mt. SAC Invitational showed who is ready to rock and roll as we head into the conference championship part of the cross country season. The storied course of Mt. SAC served as an excellent proving ground as some top ranked schools competed on the famous Mt. SAC grounds.

In the women's competition, Southwestern, the number two ranked team in the polls, made an argument to placed at number one. Behind the 1-2 finish of Aurora Scott and Karla Atencio, the team from the deep south dominated the field, scoring a scant 31 points. Mt. SAC behind the efforts of their two standouts, Christine Cortez and Lenore Moreno ran fine races placing 3 and 5th respectively to lead their team to the second place trophy. Saddleback was the 3 California team.

In the men's competition, things were very close as Mt. SAC needed everything they could muster with against a hard charging Saddleback team to be the first California team to finish behind winning team Pima.

LA Valley's Andrew Salg continued his string of fine performances by placing third overall, he was followed by Saddleback's Matt Van Dyke. Mt. SAC was led by the outstanding effort of Armondo Lara who placed 10th overall. Saddleback's Bobby Stangl placed 13th overall edging Mt. SAC's Luis Medina. Yet, it was not quite enough as Mt. SAC edged Saddleback by a score of 111-115.

Results--- Men Women

THE BRUBAKER INVITE SHOWCASES A DUAL ON THE MEN'S SIDE AND A STREAK ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE San Diego Mesa and San Bernardino continue to be close while OCC keeps win streak alive

(10/11/08)

The Brubaker Invitational was a race that demonstrated whether or not the top ranked teams could maintain their intensity as they headed into the final phase of the regular season. The answer to that question was yes.

In the women's race, Orange Coast continued its trek towards the championship meets with another victory. Led by Crystal Reed who took the individual title in a time of 18:18, OCC placed 3 runners in the top ten which was good enough for the a comfortable victory over the second place finishing team of Mt. SAC, who placed two finishers in the top ten, led by outstanding runner Christine Cortez . The third place team was Riverside, who continues to improve, finishing only 4 points back of Mt. SAC.

Other outstanding individual efforts were turned in by Santa Ana's Diana Zapata, LA City's Mallory Celaya and Fullerton's Renee Aguilar who placed 3rd, 7th and 8th respectively.

The men's race featured the number 1 and 2 ranked teams in the state on the men's side with San Diego Mesa and San Bernardino Valley battling in an incredible race that demonstrated how close the State Championships could be this November.

Mesa looked as if they were going to dominate the race as a large pack of the blue and gold clad runners past through the 2 mile mark. It appeared as if it was going to stay that way as well as Mesa placed 3 runners in the top 4, led by star runner Muluken Beressa. Yet, San Bernardino did not give in as they placed 3 runners in the top ten. In the end, however, it was not quite enough as Mesa placed its top 5 in the top 25 to give them a narrow 9 point victory. Orange Coast took third place scoring 90 points.

Other outstanding individual efforts were turned in by Mt. SAC's Eric Eyeman and Saddleback's Matt Van Dyke who placed 5th and 6th respectively.

Results- Men and Women

GLENDALE MEN AND WOMEN CLAIM VICTORIES AT THE WSC PREVIEW MEET

(10/10/08)

The Glendale men and women both claimed victories at the Western States Preview meet which took place this past Friday.

In the women's competition, Glendale place five finishers in the top six for the easy victory with only Cuesta's Lacey O'Connor breaking up their pack with her third place finish. Glendale's rising star, Katie Dunn, went onto another victory. Bakersfield College placed 2nd overall with College of the Canyons grabbing third.

The men's competition turned out to be a tighter contest as Glendale and Cuesta battled for conference bragging rights. LA Valley's Andrew Salg continued his super season as he went onto the individual victory.

Glendale placed three runners in the top ten, which was enough to give them the victory over their northern competitors. Ventura placed third.

Results-- Men Women

BAKERSFIELD IS A GREAT PLACE FOR OCC The Pirates win both the men and women, but the So Cal Preview Meet shows that things are tightening up

10/3/08

The Bakersfield Invitational which served as this years Southern California Preview Meet, turned out to be a great place for Orange Coast College. The Pirates went on to a double victory as both their men's and women's team took home first place trophies.

The women's competition was one of the the most highly anticipated contest of the year. Top ranked teams that were competing included the number one ranked Pirates, the number two ranked Southwestern team, the number three ranked Cerritos squad, the defending state champion Glendale team and the number four ranked Mt. SAC Mounties squad.

OCC's Crystal Reed and Glendale's Katie Dunn had an terrific battle which could turn out to be a preview of the individual state title championship. Dunn pulled away at the mile mark, however, Reed stayed close and then began to close in the last mile. As they re-entered the soccer park for the finish, Reed had closed some of the distance, but Dunn went onto the win.

The team competition was every bit as close, as Southwestern made a charge at the number one ranked Pirates. Southwestern, led by JC "All American" Karla Atencio, placed 4 runners in the top ten. OCC's Reed, was followed by outstanding runner Cassie Mitchell who placed 4th overall. OCC had a total of 4 runners in the top 15. The race was so close that the final score between OCC and Southwestern was tied at 48 points each. However, Coast came away with the victory based on their 6th finisher. Glendale placed third overall, with Cerritos grabbing the 4th spot and northern power, College of the Sequoias, taking 5th place.

The men's competition featured several top ranked programs as well. This included the number one ranked team from the north, American River. Also competing was the number 3 ranked Mt. SAC team, the number 4 ranked OCC team, and the number 5 ranked El Camino squad.

In the individual competition, LA Valley's Andrew Salg seems to be improving at a rapid rate and looks to be a contender for the individual state title as he pulled away from College of the Sequoias' David Sanchez and Hancock College's Oscar Torres for the victory in a time of 20:21.

In the team competition, American River started out strong based on the powerful performance from Anthony Costales. Also looking good at the midway mark was Mt. SAC, as Eric Eyeman and Luis Medina battled for top spots. OCC's Russell Westphal led their efforts.

As the runners started to pour into the finish area, OCC began to pull away from the rest of the field of 36 teams, placing three runners in the top 15. This was good enough to hold off American River who had three runners in the top 25 and Mt. SAC who placed two in the top 15.

In the end the final score read OCC 92 points with American River grabbing 2nd place with a total of 129 points. Mt. SAC, El Camino and College of the Sequoias rounded out the top 5.

Results- Men and Women

COMMUNITY COLLEGES HAVE SOLID SHOWING AT UCR INVITE Riverside men and Southwestern women lead the charge

(9/27/08)

Several community colleges took up the challenge at the UC Riverside Invite that was held this past weekend. Featuring some ranked teams, the meet showcased some excellent performances.

The women's race featured a very close contest between the number two ranked Southwestern team and the number six ranked and quickly improving Riverside squad. Southwestern, led by Aurora Scott, who placed 26th overall and finishing in a time of 18:02, also received fine efforts from the rest of their top five. This also included another strong run by Karla Atencio.

Riverside, running with a full squad, demonstrated that they will be a force to reckon with at the State Championships. Showing tremendous packing with six women breaking the 19:30 mark, Riverside looked to threaten for the win. The Lady Tigers were led by the efforts of Natalia Richeri who placed 42nd overall with a time of 18:19. Also running well was Arianna Celis who also broke the 19 minute barrier with a time of 18:48.

In the end, however, Southwestern was able to hold off Riverside, beating them 298 to 331.

In the men's competition, four ranked teams including Riverside, East LA, Southwestern, and College of the Canyons took part in the event. Riverside, through the fine performances of Juan Ruiz and Jeff Pelarde, running 25:39 and 25:55 respectively on the 8k course, were able to set the stage for a solid victory. College of the Canyons, through the fine performance of Stephen Kent, who placed 25th overall, was able to hold off the efforts of East LA's Jorge Rojas and Juan Estrella to place 2nd among the community colleges. Southwestern placed third.

Results-- Women Men

FOOTHILL INVITATIONAL FEATURES TOP TEAMS The number 1 and 2 ranked men’s teams in the state duke it out, while the defending women’s state champions make a statement

(9/27/08)

This years Foothill Invitational featured a highly anticipated rematch between the top two finishing teams at the last years state meet as well as the defending women’s state champions.

San Bernardino Valley, fresh off their victory at the OCC Classic a week ago, was going to get its first look at a team that challenged them for the state title last year. What they saw was every bit as impressive as the 2007 edition.

SD Mesa’s Muluken Beressa ran a blistering 20:11 edging SBVC’s Carlos Perez, making his first appearance of the year, by two seconds. SD Mesa then followed with 4 runners in the top 8, including Marcus Corona and Michael Denman who finished 3^rd and 5^th respectively. Matt Sartori, who placed in the top 5 for SBVC at the OCC Classic followed that performance up with a very solid 6^th place effort. Yet, even with the fine performances by the SBVC athletes, SD Mesa’s pack at the front was too much as they went onto a very narrow 59 to 62 victory. Rio Hondo, behind the fine running of Ruben Martinez and Ervin Romo grabbed the third place team spot.

On the women’s side, Glendale came in as the heavy favorite and they did not disappoint as they placed 4 women in the top 5, led by outstanding runner Justina Sadauskait, in a time of 18:24 on the 3 mile course. College of the Desert continued their improvement as they came away with the second place trophy behind the efforts of their top finisher, Baudelia Salas. Rio Hondo took the third place spot.

Results- Women's Ind. Women's Team Men's Ind. Men's Team

THE OCC CLASSIC MATCHES SOME OF THE TOP TEAMS IN THE SOUTH!!! The women's competition is very close while the defending men's state champions demonstrate their power

(9/20/08)

The highly anticipated OCC Classic has been on many peoples watch list as a race that would give great insight into the makeup of the southern region. It turned out to be an outstanding event that saw some of the best performances of the season thus far, as the 2008 campaign moves to the midway mark.

The women's competition featured 3 of the top 4 ranked teams in the state, as Orange Coast, Cerritos and a quickly advancing Mt. SAC toed the line for the first event of the day. The race turned out to be every bit as close as the rankings indicate. Mt. SAC's Christine Cortez battled OCC's Cassie Mitchell for the better part of two miles and it looked like it might turn into a kick to the finish. However, Cortez was able to pull away prior to reaching the infamous "puke hill" for the victory on the tough course. Mitchell grabbed 2nd place, however, Mt. SAC with freshman standout Lenore Moreno captured 3rd place. Then Cerritos got into the act as Robyn Guggiana continued her improvement placing 6th overall, leading a charge of four Cerritos women in the top 12. OCC placed their 1st and 2nd runners ahead of Cerritos 1st and 2nd, yet, Cerritos placed their 3rd and 4th ahead of OCC's 3rd and 4th. Mt. SAC was able get three runners in the top 14. However, OCC was able to get their 5th, 6th and 7th runners in a nice pack in the 15th, 16th and 17th positions. When the dust settled the final score read OCC 49, Cerritos 62, and Mt. SAC 67.

Other notable performances were turned in by Santa Ana' Diana Zapata who placed 4th overall, Fullerton's Renee Aguilar who took 5th and Long Beach's Jasmin Pina who took 9th.

The men's side, in which many were excited to see the a match-up of such powers as Mt. SAC, El Camino, and Riverside, turned out to be a rout by the defending state champions, San Bernardino Valley.

After the initial half mile mark, El Camino's Steven Calise showed himself to be in fine form as he took on LA Valley's Andrew Salg, Canyon's Stephen Kent, and SBVC's Matt Sartori and Art Parra. Calise and Salg waged a very exciting contest with Calise being able to hold off Salg for a one second victory.

Yet, in the team competition, there was no such drama as SBVC landed 5 runners in the top 15 led by Sartori and Parra. The final point tally told the story as SBVC won the competition amassing a mere 44 points, defeating their nearest team competitor by 56 points. Mt. SAC, led by their fine runner, Luis Medina, placed 2nd narrowly defeating a fine team effort by the hosting school, OCC.

Other notable performances were turned in by OCC's Russell Westphal who placed 6th overall and Saddleback Matt Van Dyke who placed 9th overall respectively.

Results - Women Men Orange Empire Preview Results- Women Men

FRESNO INVITE OFFERS INSIGHT INTO ENTIRE STATE! American River takes the men’s title, while OCC grabs the women’s victory

(9/13/08)

The Fresno Invitational is one of the few regular season meets that offers a glimpse into how the north and south match up with one another. Although it is still very early, the teams to look for are starting to come into focus.

For the past several years, the women’s competition usually narrowed down to one or two teams. However, this year’s battle for the top three spots in the state has several contenders. Five were on display at Fresno. Orange Coast which has occupied the number one ranking since the beginning of the year, would face a field that included a team they narrowly defeated two weeks ago, number three ranked Cerritos. It also included Mt. SAC coming off a victory last week in Ventura and sits at number 5 in the rankings. Also in attendance was a quickly rising Riverside squad, who was ranked number 7 going into this week.

OCC’s Crystal Reed, who seems to be making the Fresno course her own personal stomping ground, won the race in an excellent time of 18:35. She was followed by the other OCC standout Cassie Mitchell. Mt. SAC’s Christine Cortez also did very well, placing third overall. Her teammate, Darlene Salmon, also placed very high finishing 6^th overall. Cerritos’ Shannon Simpson led her team’s efforts with a 7^th place finish. OCC, then followed with three more finishers in the top 14, which gave them a comfortable victory. Cerritos finished with 5 runners in the top 30 which was enough to hold off Mt. SAC by a scant 10 points for second place.

On the men’s side, a lot of southern teams wanted to see what some of the traditional northern powerhouses will have to challenge later in the year. What they saw was quite impressive, as American River, without some of it’s top athletes performing, still took home the title. ARC’s Anthony Costales won by a seven second margin over northern counterpart Daniel Tapia of Hartnell. ARC had three runners in the top 15, which was good enough to hold off OCC efforts of placing three runners in the top 21, giving them the 100 to 112 victory. College of the Sequoias, had an impressive race which was good enough to place them third with a score of 129.

Other impressive individual performances were turned in by Riverside’s Jeff Pelarde who placed third overall and LA Valley Andrew Salg, who is quickly making a name for himself with a 4^th place finish.

Results-- Women Ind. Women Team Men Ind. Men Team

THE PALOMAR INVITATIONAL TURNS INTO A DOUBLE VICTORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN

(9/13/08)

Southwestern kept closer to home this weekend as they attended the Palomar Invitational. It turned out to be a very successful decision as Southwestern took both the men's and women's races over a field that included 8 colleges.

In the women's race, Southwestern took their 2nd ranked team against a field that included number 6 ranked Palomar. SW's Monicah Jepkemboi ran another electric performance taking the victory over her teammate Karla Antencio. This led a cavalcade of SW runners as they placed five runners in the top six with only Palomar's Aubriele Row breaking up the onslaught as she finished third. The strong showing was good enough for 18-59 victory over second place College of the Desert.

The men's competition turned out to be much closer, as Saddleback's Matt Van Dyke led the way placing first in a time of 21:34. He was followed by SW's Edgar Lopez and Joshua Vargas. Yet Saddleback answered with the 4th place finish by Bobby Stangl. However, SW's Juan Vieyra finished 7th overall which was good enough to give his team a narrow victory of 44-49.

Results

SECOND WEEK SHOWCASES NEW CHAMPIONS AND OLD RIVALRIES Rio Hondo is the top community college on the men’s side at UCI, while Glendale and Mt. SAC women stage an epic dual at the Ventura Inv.

(9/6/08)

Week two showcased some early season surprises as well as some nail biting close finishes.

At the UC Irvine Invitational, several community colleges toed the line, with several ranked teams in attendance. In the women’s competition, Cerritos faced San Diego power Southwestern. Demonstrating tremendous depth as well as outstanding front runners, Southwestern easily claimed the victory, behind the outstanding performances of Lenzey Scott and returning star, Karla Atencio. Southwestern was 1^st overall, with Cerritos placing 4^th overall. In the community college scoring, Southwestern won by a margin of 23 to 42 over Cerritos. LBCC was third with a score of 87.

In the men’s competition, Rio Hondo College had a firecracker start to the beginning of their season with an outstanding victory over a quality field. Placing 2^nd overall in the team competition, Rio Hondo placed 3 runners in the top 15, led by Ruben Martinez who placed third overall, for the easy victory. The rest of the community college field was much closer as the next four schools finished within 18 points of each other after the four year school scoring was removed.

The final tabulations were as follows:

Rio Hondo 42

Canyons 75

Cerritos 93 (finished over SW based on 6^th finisher)

Southwestern 93

ELAC 96

In the Ventura Invitational, traditional powers Mt. SAC and Glendale battled in the women’s competition that ended with a finish as close as you can get. Glendale presented a new star to pick up where Tove Berg left off, as freshman, Katie Dunn won the race. She was followed by Mt. SAC’s star Christine Cortez. Lenore Moreno, also placed in the top 5 for the Mounties.

However Glendale fought back with returner Justina Sadauskaite and Brigette Fernandez who finished in the 5^th and 6^th positions. When the dust settled, Glendale walked away with a victory by the narrowest of margins, 45 to 46.

There were also outstanding performances turned in by other individuals, including Mallory Celaya and Veronica Alaniz of LA City who took 3^rd and 7^th respectively.

On the men’s side, El Camino College, led by standout and returning “All American” Steve Calise, was able to pull out a solid early season victory. Calise led a charge that found three El Camino athletes finishing in the top six. Mt. SAC answered with four athletes in the top ten, led by the outstanding effort of freshmen Eric Eyeman, who placed 5^th overall. However, with runners finishing in the 12^th, 17^th and 18^th positions, it was enough to give El Camino the narrow win.

Other notable performances of the day were turned in by LA Valley’s Andrew Salg and Ventura’s Marc Martinez who placed 2nd and 3rd overall.

NEWS FROM THE NORTH (by Rick Anderson)

2008 Beaver Invitational

By far, the most challenging course in California, the 3 and 4 mile courses at the 5% Beach at Folsom Lake proved to be an extreme early season challenge for every competitor on Saturday at the Beaver Invitational. With two hills that make the Cuesta course look like a freeway overpass, the athletes were tested early and often in the race.

Women
In the women's race the lead bike led the first 3 women off course, causing them to run an extra mile over one of the hilliest sections of the race. Stephani Ksenzulak of Shasta still managed to run the extra mile and take 9th place overall. After the race the three women were awarded the top 3 places with no time.

Men

Sequoias went out hard early and faded slightly but held on to defeat American River by 6 points, 29-35. ARC ran without their number 2 runner which would have made the close race even tighter. COS and ARC combined to take 20 of the first 25 places over the tough course. Anthony Costales of American River came out on top for the 2nd straight week. Next week most NorCal schools will compete in the Fresno Invite, followed in another week by the NorCal Preview at Shasta College.

Results--Irvine Invitational--Women Men Ventura Invitational--Women Men Beaver Invitational--Results

THE 2008 SEASON OPENS!!! The Cal State Fullerton Season Opener, the Moorpark Invitational, the RCC Short Course as well as events up north get things going.

(8/31/08)

The 2008 cross country campaign got underway this week with several invitationals that took place this past Saturday. Although there are many teams which have yet to compete, and some teams were not running with full squads, it gave some insight into the things to come.

Cal State Fullerton Season Opener: Most of the community colleges that competed this weekend were at Carbon Canyon Regional Park for the Cal State Fullerton Season Opener. Five community colleges took part on the women's side including three of the top six finishing teams (OCC, Cerritos, and Mt. SAC) from last year. This turned out to be a very interesting race and may show how close things might become in the race for 2008 crown.

In the women's competition, Orange Coast and Cerritos battled through the entire race and as the finish came into sight, it was still extremely close. OCC's Crystal Reed picked up right where she left off last season as she was the first community college finisher running a strong early season time of 18:29, she was then followed by her teammate, Cassie Mitchell. Mt. SAC's newcomer, Lenore Moreno had a very nice season debut, placing third among community college finishers. Then a whole host of Cerritos College runners finished led by Robyn Guggiana and Lucy Beuster. They were followed by Sarah Muniz and Shannon Simpson. It came down to the fifth runners of the two squads. OCC's Janina Emery finished 12 seconds ahead of Cerritos' Daisy Perez to give her squad a 33-37 victory among the community colleges. Mt. SAC finished third.

On the men's side, things were not nearly as close as the OCC men's team showcased several newcomers who gave them a comfortable victory over nearest rival Mt. SAC. The individual competition featured some very exciting moments, most notably OCC's Sergio Olivarrias edging College of the Canyons Steve Kent to be the first community college athlete to the finish, both recording the same time of 26:51 on the 8k course. Another fine performance was turned in by OCC's Raul Torres as he placed 17th overall in the competition in a time of 27:11. Mt. SAC placed 2nd among the community colleges.

Moorpark Invitational: The Moorpark Invitational was a smaller affair this year. Antelope Valley's Melissa Olmos won the women's race in a time of 20:23.

On the men's side, LA Valley's Andrew Salg won the overall competition, followed by his teammate Waldo Jiminez. LA Trade Tech, then had four of the next six finishers led by Alejandro Mendez, which was good enough for the team victory.

RCC Short Course: The RCC Short Course Invitational featured three teams, Victor Valley College, Santiago Canyon and the host school, Riverside.

In the men's competition, VVC brought a well stocked squad and was able to defeat the split squads of RCC for the victory.

In the women's competition, both of the RCC split squads ran well enough to go 1-2 defeating VVC. The final results were as follows:

RCC Black 30 RCC Orange 38 VVC 56

News from up north: Like their southern counterparts, the north got underway with the Big Man Invitational. Getting off to another fine start, the American River men dominated the competition with 14 of the top 22 finishers. The individual winner was the Beavers Anthony Costales running the 22:01 in the over 108 degree heat.

Results-- Fullerton Season Opener-- Women Men Moorpark-- Women Men

RCC Short Course-- Women Men Big Guy Invitational-- Results

MEN'S PREVIEW 2008 San Bernardino and SD Mesa were the best in 2007 and could be again this season, but it won't be easy

San Bernardino pulled off the double last year with their second consecutive title and did it in unconventional style. Instead of having a team that was just a repeat of the 2006 version, SBVC brought in a slew of freshman that were every bit as effective. Both SBVC and runner-up Mesa have a large group of athletes that will be back for the "08" campaign. Yet, that in itself does not guarantee a return to the top. Teams such as Mt. SAC and El Camino, both have front-runner athletes to build from who could bring their team into a position to challenge. In addition to this, the power from the North, American River, also returns a strong contingent. Of course, none of this takes into consideration incoming freshmen and what their impact will be, which has proven to be extensive the past few seasons. All in all, the 2008 season should be one to remember.

San Bernardino Valley- SBVC has been the dominant force in men’s cross country, winning back to back state titles. However the route they took there was not what many would have expected. Instead of having a sophomore laden team, SBVC returned to the victors stand with a team comprised of only two sophomores, which certainly makes them one of the favorites coming into this year. Back is Carlos Perez, after both great cross country and track and field seasons, placing 3rd overall at the State Cross Country Championships and earning "All American" honors in track. The outstanding athlete will be bolstered by solid runners Matt Sartori and Manuel Bueno, both of whom placed in the top 45. However, they will be looking to replace their number 2 and 3 finishers, Matthew Prentice and Matthew Reyes who only accumulated 22 points for their team.

San Diego Mesa- Last year, Mesa and SBVC waged a stellar battle for the title. SBVC had a little bit more in the end beating their southern rivals by a scant 12 points. Yet, like their counterpart, Mesa accomplished their high finish with only two sophomores, which means they will be returning a total of five from last years team runner-up. This is not to say that their losses to graduation were not heavy. Gone are state champion Daniel Gonia and their number two finisher Dave Edwards. However, returning is Muluken Beressa, Bernardo Behena, and Mike Denman all of whom placed in the top 40. Also returning is Barrett Tilley who placed 46^th.

Mt. SAC- The Mounties had an outstanding season, placing third at the State Championships. Mt. SAC has four of their top seven returning, including their number one finisher, Luis Medina who placed 8^th overall. Yet, the Mounties are not without their holes to fill, gone are their number 2, 3, and 4 athletes to graduation. This included Ryan Frost, Juan Jacinto and Adrian Gonzalez. Justino Mora, Gustavo Cruz and Jose Vasquez do return, they placed 69^th, 76^th and 85^th respectively.

American River- The Beavers have become a mainstay in the top five of the State Championships. ARC seems to come to Fresno every year ready to give the southern teams fits. The Beavers have a total of four of their top seven returning but number one runner, Nelson Mwangi, and number two runner and state steeplechase champion, Jason Engler move on. Solid runners Anthony Costales and Bruce Buckle are back. Also returning are Dan Labrador and Erik Gregory to bolster their line-up.

College of the Canyons- Canyons started out the 2007 year as the hottest team in state, winning nearly every invitational they entered. As the end of the year approached they were overtaken by Mesa and SBVC, however, Canyons still finished in the elite five spot. Canyons also returns four of their top seven but have very big shoes to fill with the departure of standouts Alfredo Coronado and Ismael Samano. Coronado placed 2^nd overall after an epic battle with Daniel Gonia of SD Mesa. Samano placed 12^th overall, giving Canyons a nice 1-2 punch. Back however, is outstanding runner Edwin Hernandez who placed 23^rd overall and Thomas Stevenson who placed 48^th, giving them a solid base to build from for the upcoming season.

Fresno- Fresno had an excellent season with one of their highest finishes at the State Championships in the last few years. They had a total of three runners in the top 30 which served them quite well in the final scoring calculations. This year, Fresno will have a lot of rebuilding to do as they were hit hard by graduation, losing four of their top five finishers. Their top returner will be Vincent Velarde, who placed 29^th overall. Also back are Ryan Nunez and Angel Hernandez.

East LA- ELAC had a very good year, finishing 7^th overall and they have a very good group coming back. A total of five of their top seven return including Jorge Rojas, who placed in the top 50. Francisco Garcia is also back finishing only three spots back of his teammate. ELAC does lose two of their top four including top finisher Anuar Mercado who placed 16^th overall and Jose Valencia who was ELAC’s fourth finisher.

El Camino- El Camino completed their season with another top 10 performance, placing 8^th at the State Championships. El Camino does return a front-runner with outstanding runner, Steven Calise, who placed 15^th overall. He should certainly be one to watch to move further up the rankings list. Also back is Alex Gorney who finished 47^th. El Camino will have to replace three of their top five which includes, Louis Castro, Ramon Hernandez and Bryan Camarillo, all of whom graduated.

Orange Coast- The Pirates finished a solid 9^th place, but will have to replace a total of 4 of their top five. Gone is their outstanding middle distance runner, Brandon Babiracki who placed an impressive 5^th overall. OCC also loses Nathaniel Mouzis who was their number two finisher and placed 64^th overall. OCC does have a solid athlete in Preston Switzer returning, who placed 67^th overall.

Antelope Valley- The team from the high desert cracked the top ten in 2007, but will have to replace a great deal from that fine squad. Like OCC, Antelope Valley has a total of 4 of their top 5 to replace. This includes their number 1, 2, and 3 finishers. Irvin Garcia, who placed 6^th overall, leaves the biggest shoes to fill. Also teammate Kurtis Rohrenback, who placed 18^th overall, leaves a sizable hole. Davey Ramos is their top returning finisher, he placed 104^th overall.

WOMEN'S PREVIEW 2008 The upcoming year promises to be one of excitement and possible transition

If the 2007 cross country season is of any indication, the upcoming 2008 season should be a very exciting one. In 2007, OCC’s Crystal Reed took the individual crown, but the OCC women relinquished their team thrown to Glendale. In addition, teams such as El Camino, Cerritos and Southwestern also displayed highly competitive programs that showed they could be factors in the season to come. Adding to the excitement were teams that were unexpected to make an impact, yet came through in a big way. As we get closer to opening meet weekend, with the first seasons races only a little over six weeks away, many questions will arise. Will Glendale be able to stay at the top, will Orange Coast regain the title, or will a new team champion be crowned?

Every year, we review the top ten finishing teams from last seasons state championships and examine what they have coming back and how it might affect their chances for the 2008 campaign. Obviously, this process only takes into account the returning athletes, as we recognize that incoming recruits will always have a great impact on a team's chances. However, this exercise gives us some insight into the teams to watch.

Glendale- The defending championship team displayed tremendous power in 2007 and dominated every race they entered. The state championships were no exception as they scored a miniscule 42 points, a full 53 points over their closest rival. However, in this case, with big performances come big shoes to fill. Glendale loses a total of 5 of their top 7 finishers from last year, including two-time “All American” and four time state track and field champion, Tove Berg. Also gone are standouts Vivien Wadeck and Desiree Ruiz. Yet, the two returners from this state title team are excellent athletes. Justina Sadauskaite who placed 9th overall and Amanda Barreto who placed 18^th overall, will certainly provide Glendale with powerful building blocks for this years follow-up team.

Orange Coast- Orange Coast had another strong showing in 2007, finishing 2^nd overall. Keeping with their tradition of great teams, the 2008 team appears to be even stronger. Back is state champion Crystal Reed and state steeplechase champion Cassie Mitchell, who placed 8^th overall at the cross country championships. Also returning is Ariana Espinoza and Joanna Abarca who placed 28^th and 38^th respectively. Senayt Asrat, who placed 58^th, is another sophomore who could make an impact. OCC only loses two of their top seven which includes steeplechaser Claire Fleming and their 7^th finisher, Jillian Lopez.

El Camino- Once again, El Camino peaked at the right time, placing 3^rd overall in the team standings. Much of that was done on the strength of their top three finishers, Megan Adams, Gabriela Rubi and Kirsten Adams, each of whom placed in the top 25. However, El Camino will have to replace each of those three as they have graduated. Returning is a very solid runner in Courtney Stephens, who is fully capable of taking over the reigns from her former teammates. Other returners from last years squad include Rebecca Caracoza and Heather Mitchell.

Cerritos- Cerritos matches Orange Coast in the number of returner’s category with a total of five back from the 2007 squad which also showed notable improvement during track. The Falcons placed 4th overall, largely on the strength of their packing. Cerritos’ top three finishers from 2007 includes, Shannon Simpson, who placed 3^rd in the state 10,000 and 6^th in the 5000, Lucy Beuster who placed 4^th in the 10,000 and Sarah Muniz who placed 4^th in the steeplechase. Each of these women could make a big impact come championship time. Also returning is Daisy Perez who placed 7^th in the state steeplechase championships and who finished 71^st overall at the cross country championships.

Southwestern- The team from the deep south has an impressive total of six athletes back from the 2007 squad and could tally that into a serious run at the state title. This includes freshmen standout Karla Atencio who placed 7^th overall with an outstanding time of 18:51. Monica Carrillo and Jasmine Leija who placed 49^th and 54^th round out their top three. The only athlete lost to graduation was their number four runner, Joella Silvera. Lisa Lane and Sonia Flores also look to return for the 2008 campaign.

Mt. SAC- The Mounties had another top ten finish in 2007, placing 6^th overall and with three of their top four athletes back, could put themselves in a position for a very serious run at the title. Mt. SAC definitely has the front-runner in Christine Cortez to get them off on the right foot. Cortez placed 4^th overall with a time of 18:16 and showed no signs of slowing down in track with a state championship in the 1500 and a runner-up finish in the 800. Bolstering Mt. SAC’s roster will be Celia Amaya who placed 33^rd overall and Rebecca Reinsma who placed 67^th overall respectively.

Fullerton- The Hornets were one of the surprises of last season, with a very strong 7^th place finish. Fullerton does return five of their top seven as well which will certainly raise some eyebrows as the season approaches, however two of their top three finishers, April Harris and Jesusa Jones are moving on. Top returning athlete, Rene Aguilar, placed 27^th overall and could make a move up the rankings by seasons end. Rosa Murillo was their 4^th finisher, placing 88^th respectively.

Palomar- Fullerton was one of the surprise teams of “07”, yet the title of the biggest surprise team of the year may have to go to Palomar, who returned to the top 10 after a lengthy absence. Behind the outstanding running of Erica Hendrickson, who placed an impressive 16^th overall, Palomar looks to build on last year’s success. She will be the leader of a team that is returning every single athlete from the previous year. Aubriele Rowe who placed 39^th overall and her teammate Cori Marte who finished 59th, could move them way up the charts if they continue to improve.

Bakersfield- The Renegades return five of their top seven from a team that placed 9^th overall, however, lose their two big guns in standout Shauna Rountree and Brianna Smith. Lorin Maki will be their top returner, she placed 77^th overall, with fellow returning teammate, Emnet Habebo, placing 92^nd.

Riverside- Riverside slipped from the top five last year. However, it may be a good idea to look for their return to that elite spot in “08”, with six of their top seven runners back in the fold. Arianna Celis and Casey Glassey are their top runners from the “07” squad that will be looking to guide their team this season.