The Glendale Women Recapture Crown While the San Bernardino Men Continue Dynasty
11/21/09
On a crisp autumn morning this past Saturday, the Glendale women and the San Bernardino Valley men captured state championships on the Woodward Park course in Fresno in dominating fashion.
The Glendale women, stinging after their close loss to Orange Coast College last season, was able to recapture their lost title with a tremendous performance that left little doubt who was the top women's program in the state.
The course and weather conditions were perfect after light rains came the night before. When the gun went off at 10:00am, a large pack roared to the front, which included an Orange Coast contingent, led by Kimone Hewitt, a Glendale pack led by Nina Moore and a very strong looking Mt. SAC pack with Lenore Moreno leading the way. The over 15 strong grouping came through the mile looking very comfortable.
As they moved towards the hill near the one and a half mile mark, the race picture started to become more clear. Glendale's Moore, OCC's Hewitt and Cuesta's Kelly Barmann, separated themselves by the two mile mark. In the team contest, it was becoming obvious that Glendale was taking control of the race.
As the runners approached the final yards, Moore was able pull away from Barmann and Hewitt and powered her way into the finish winning the race in a superb time of 17:47. Barmann placed second with Hewitt third.
Glendale then proceeded to place three runners in the top seven and their five scoring runners in the top 20 to win the meet going away. Orange Coast, with four runners in the top 25 grabbed the second team position just holding off Mt. SAC by a mere 12 points.
In the men's competition, it was more of same as the San Bernardino Valley men's team kept their string of four consecutive State Championships alive. At the So Cal Championships, two weeks ago, SBVC had one of the most impressive displays of team packing in recent memory. The State Championships were no different as that effective strategy continued.
The race roared from the start with some of the best runners in the state taking center stage. At the first mile mark, So Cal Champion, Dahir Mohamed of Southwestern, along with Antelope Valley's Ulises Aquino and Santa Barbara's Mark Moreno, led the pack through the one mile mark.
By mile two, other runners started to move towards the front as well. Francisco Quijada of Glendale, David Cardona and Jose Lezama of El Camino, and northern star, Daniel Tapia of Hartnell, started to move to chase down Mohamed.
As the runners rounded the hill and headed towards the final mile of the race, Tapia, looking very good, started to chase down Mohamed. As they headed towards the final stages of the race, Tapia took control with Cardona moving into the second position with a few yards remaining. That order continued into the finish. After Cardona, Jeff Pelarde of Riverside took the third position.
Even though San Bernardino did not place a single runner in the top ten, the remarkable packing of 5 runners in the top twenty, with a mere 16 seconds separating them, ended all hopes of any other team taking the title. Orange Coast, who had three runners in the top 30, took second and Glendale, led by Quijada's 6th place finish took third.
The Glendale Women & the SBVC Men Retain Crowns at So Cal Championships
11/7/09
The Glendale women and the San Bernardino Valley men maintained their status as the top teams in the Southern region as both teams handily won Southern California Championships at Mt. SAC on Friday.
The women's race pitted the top ranked women's teams against each other, including the number one and two squads of Glendale and Orange Coast. At the beginning of the race a large contingent of Glendale runners as well as some OCC runners shot to the front. However, as the runners came down off the switchbacks, Glendale seemed to take control of the race.
After attacking "Poop Out Hill" and circling "Reservoir Hill", Cuesta's Kelly Barmann had the lead with less than 200 yards remaining. However, Glendale's Nina Moore was trailing by only about 10 yards. As they made the final turn towards the finish line, Moore unleashed her kick passing Barmann to win the race and take the individual title in a record time of 17:17.
In the team competition, the Glendale onslaught was impressive as they placed three runners in the top five and their five scoring runners in the top 18 to give them a very comfortable 49 point win over Orange Coast.
Orange Coast placed three runners in the top twenty which included a solid performance by their top runner, Kimone Hewitt who placed 7th overall. Mt. SAC led by their top performer, Lenore Moreno, who placed 4th overall, took the third place team position. Other top ten finishers included Glendale's Brianna Jauregui (3rd), Glendale's Rosa Del Toro (5th), Pasadena's Tracee Van Der Wyk (6th), Mt. SAC's Mallory Celaya (8th), LA Trade Tech's Maritza Hernandez (9th), and Southwestern's Nadine Mulvany (10th).
The top teams after Mt.SAC included Southwestern, Riverside, LA Trade Tech, Cuesta, Santa Barbara, Cerritos, and San Diego Mesa.
The men's race promised to be one of the more exciting races in recent memory as several teams seemed to be very close in quality. However, San Bernardino Valley proved itself to be the top team of the day.
At the start of the race, a large pack circled the flats as the runners started to make their way towards the Switchbacks. As they came down the first hill, Southwestern's Dahir Mohammed as well as El Camino's David Cardona and Jose Lezama looked strong.
The battle between those athletes would continue through much of the race. However, something was becoming quite evident, the SBVC men had a large pack of athletes moving through the field and looking very powerful doing it.
As the runners headed into the last mile, Dahir Mohamed looked very comfortable with El Camino's Lezama and Cardona trying to chase him down. Mohamed was able to hold off his competitors as he went on to win the individual title, his second victory on the Mt. SAC course within the last month. Lezama and Cardona finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Other finisher in the top ten included, Riverside's Jeff Pelarde (4th), Glendale's Francisco Quijada (5th), San Bernardino's Ray Dominguez (6th), Orange Coast's Russell Westphal (7th), San Bernardino's Martin Sanchez (8th), Mt. SAC's Chris Rivera (9th) and Orange Coast's Eric Dyson (10th).
After Mohammed, Lezama and Cardona made their final turns towards the finish, the team race was really taking shape and it looked to be all San Bernardino Valley. With their top five runners finishing with only an amazing 14 second gap between them, SBVC managed to place their five scoring runners in the top 15, giving them a dominant victory in the race.
The rest of the team competition was extremely close as the next five team finishers grabbed their share of the top spots. Orange Coast (2nd) had three runners in the top 35 as well as Glendale (3rd). Mt. SAC (4th) grabbed two positions in the top 35 and so did El Camino (5th). Cerritos (6th) had four runners in the top 35. When the final scores were tabulated, only 29 points separated the 2nd through 6th team positions.
Other top ten teams included Riverside (7th), Ventura (8th), San Diego Mesa (9th) and Cuyamaca (10th).
Mt. SAC Wins Women & Shares Title with El Camino Men at SCC Championships
10/31/09
The South Coast Conference continued to showcase why it is one of the toughest conferences in the state at the SCC Championships that were held at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in El Monte this morning.
The women's competition had three ranked teams that included Mt. SAC, Cerritos and LA Trade Tech. Trade Tech's Martiza Hernandez shot to the front to take the early lead and led through the first mile. However, as the race progressed, Mt. SAC's standout runner, Lenore Moreno, took control, followed by her teammate Mallory Celaya. Those positions continued through the remainder of the race, with Moreno winning by a 4 second margin. Mt. SAC finished with five runners in the top 10, which was enough to hold off Trade Tech and Cerritos, both of whom had two runners in top 10 positions.
After the final scores were tallied, Mt. SAC was awarded the championship followed by Trade Tech and Cerritos. Other outstanding performances were turned in by Pasadena's Tracee Van Der Wyk, who placed third, Liliana Mercado of Trade Tech who placed 6th and Cerritos' Erica Sandoval who grabbed the 9th position.
The men's race looked to be no less exciting as three teams ranked in the top eight in the Southern California section marched up to the starting line. At the beginning of the race, El Camino's Jose Lezama shot to the front, however, he was closely followed by a large pack that included such outstanding runners as his teammate, David Cardona, Cerritos' Jason Zapien and Patrick Schwab, Trade Tech's Pedro De Alba and Mt. SAC's Chris Rivera and Sean Whitesitt. As the race progressed, Cardona moved up with De Alba, Zapien and Rivera in tow.
As the runners approached the final mile, Cardona had moved up to the lead and started to pull away with De Alba just trailing behind. In the final 200 yards, De Alba and Cardona turned it into a sprint with Cardona just being able to hold off De Alba for the individual title. Lezama placed thrid with Rivera and Zapien placing in the 4th and 5th positions.
The team scores were every bit as close as the race. Mt. SAC placed three runners in the top 10, while both El Camino and Cerritos placed 2 in the top 10. Even though Mt. SAC placed three in the top ten positions, with El Camino grabbing 2 of the top three positions, the Mounties and El Camino finished in a tie for first with Cerritos placing behind them.
San Diego Mesa and Southwestern Win Titles at the PCC Championships
10/30/09
The San Diego Mesa men and the Southwestern women proved to be the top teams of the deep south both won Pacific Coast Conference Championships on Friday.
The Southwestern men seemed to be ready to pull off the upset as they looked to defeat the defending champion San Diego Mesa team. Top runner, Dahir Mohammed took the individual title as he won the race by a 53 second margin. His teammate, Edgar Lopez placed second. Cuyamaca also got into the act as they placed two runners in the top five, led by an outstanding performance by Jesse Beason.
However, San Diego Mesa was able to grab 5 spots in the top twelve, which was a strong enough team performance to once again take the title. Cuyamaca was able to move into the second place position with Southwestern placing third.
In the women's competition, Southwestern saw the welcome return of the Tanya Valenzuela, which helped them dominate the race. Valenzuela finished behind her teammate and winner of the race, Nadine Mulvany. Five of the top six finishers were from SW. San Diego Mesa, behind the excellent performance of Michelle Thompson, placed second overall in the team competition.
OCC Pulls Off the Double at the OEC Championships
10/30/09
Orange Coast College appeared to be primed and ready for post season competition as both teams took titles at the Orange Empire Conference Championships today at Central Park in Huntington Beach.
In the women's competition, Kimone Hewitt had another fine performance as she took the individual crown while leading seven Pirate finishers in the top nine. Only Saddleback's Kelley Breen and Riverside's Larissa Davis was able to break up the onslaught. This powerful team performance kept OCC's score to an impressive 18 points, defeating Riverside by a comfortable margin.
In the men's competition, Riverside's Jeff Pelarde defeated a group of talented OCC runners to take the individual title. However, OCC was able to grab six of the top ten spots including the numbers 2, 3 and 4 positions to defeat Riverside by 27 points. Fullerton College, led by David Cummings, took third place honors.
Glendale Takes Two Crowns at Western States Championships
10/29/09
The Glendale men's and women's teams captured conference titles at the Western States Championships this past Thursday at Fairbanks Cross Country course in San Luis Obispo.
The women's competition featured another great performance by standout runner, Nina Moore, who placed 2nd overall behind individual champion Kelly Barmann of Cuesta. Moore's performance highlighted a dominating team performance which saw Glendale take eight of the top eleven spots. Glendale won by 69 points over the 2nd place team Cuesta, with Ventura taking third.
The Glendale men's team was also impressive. GC's Francisco Quijada kept his string of great performances going as he was able to defeat Santa Barbara's Mark Moreno for the individual title. Glendale had a total of 4 runners in the top ten, which was good enough to give them a 48 point victory over the second place Ventura team.
San Bernardino Valley Men and the Victor Valley Women Take Foothill Titles
10/28/09
The San Bernardino Valley men's team and the Victor Valley women took championship titles at the Foothill Conference Championships which were held today in Palm Desert.
In the men's competition, SBVC dominated the competition grabbing the top three places overall and six of the top eight finishing spotsl. Raymond Dominguez won the competition, defeating his teammates Martin Sanchez and Ankur Joshi. Antelope Valley's Ulises Aquino placed 4th overall. Aquino led his team to the 2nd place finish, they were followed by Victor Valley.
In the women's competition, Victor Valley's Sara Taylor, took the individual title, defeating Antelope Valley's Caitlin Choate by eight seconds. Rio Hondo's Ashley Huizar was third. Taylors performance led her team to the Foothill Conference title, defeating AVC by nine points. Rio Hondo placed third.
Results-- Men's Ind. Men's Team Women's Ind. Women's Team
Huge Field Competes at Mt SAC for the Southern California Preview Meet!
10/16/09
On an unseasonably warm day, a massive field representing over 40 colleges, took part in the Mt. SAC Invitational this past Friday. The competition also served as the Southern California Preview meet. Almost every ranked team in the Southern California area as well as northern power, American River and four out of state schools toed the line.
The women's competition featured nine of the top ten ranked teams. It was also the first time that the number one team OCC, faced the number two team, Glendale, since the Fresno Invitational. In that competition, OCC handed Glendale its only defeat of the year. This past Saturday, Glendale got its revenge by placing four runners in the top sixteen, which was enough to give them a comfortable victory. Glendale's Nina Moore and Rosa Del Toro placed 1-2 overall. Mt. SAC, led by Lenore Moreno, took third on their home course. Riverside was the fourth So Cal team with Cerritos finishing as the fifth So Cal squad.
The men's race was every bit as competitive as the women. Not only were most of the top ten ranked schools in attendance, but the number two ranked Northern California team was also along for the ride. Orange Coast, however, proved to be the dominant team of the day as they placed four runners in the top twenty to give them a solid victory over host school Mt. SAC who was led by Sean Whitesitt. Glendale held true to its number three ranking as they finished in that same team position in the race. American River proved to be as strong as ever as they took 4th and El Camino, who had the number two and three finishers in the race placed fifth. The next five schools, which included Riverside, Southwestern, Cerritos, Oxnard and Antelope Valley were separated by a mere 40 points.
The individual title went to Southwestern's Dahir Mohamed, who pulled away from the field, winning the race by 12 seconds over El Camino's David Cardona.
Results- Women Men More Kirby Lee Photos
OCC & USC Claim Titles at Vanguard Invite
By Dave Fier
Costa Mesa-Fairview Park, Events Multi-Divisional with NCAA, NAIA and Community Colleges
10/10/09
THE WOMEN’S RACE
The weather cooperated perfectly for the athletes, providing a cool morning to run on the hilly course, and spectators hurried to catch as many glimpses as possible of their favorite athlete or team. The lead runner, Vivian Wadeck, a Division II All American, and All American both in Cross and Track while at Glendale JC hit the mile at 5:23 . Rocio Pelayo, was second at 5:25 along with Violet Mokaya both from Concorda and Zsofia Erdeli from U.S.C.. The chase group was lead by Kimone Hewitt from OCC at 5:38. The teams started to come in packs after that point with U.S.C. and OCC both looking strong.
At 2 mile’s, in 11:06, Wadeck was still leading and had started to build a small lead of 5 seconds over the other lead runners. Some of the U.S.C. runners had started to move up and OCC worked to stay close as a team. Shelby Buckley ( unat U.S.C. ), a state champion in high school and 4:45 HS 1600 PR, had passed Kimone Hewitt and was working her way up with Katherine Ellis and Christine Cortez, (a JC All American, 2nd in State XC 09 Mt SAC with track PR’s of 2:10 and 4:31 and the 2 time State champ in the 1500). Andrea Guerra and Hillary Labelle both from OCC were working together to try and catch Hewitt to help in the team battle.
Wadeck stayed strong for the win in 17:23, but the war was just behind her. In a tight race Hewitt fought hard and out-kicked Buckley , Cortez, and Ellis for 6th place and some needed points. However, USC’s late push in the 3rd mile gave them the win. Orange Coast’s depth helped to overcome Concordia University’s 3 front runners, 2nd 3rd, and 5th places to hold on to second place.
THE MEN’S RACE
Just as with the women’s race, the weather stayed cool which made it a great morning to race. They charged off through the grass and dirt trails towards the first mile with a lot of engery. Sergio Olivarrias from OCC hit the mile at 4:59 with the pack just behind him. Following closely was Anthony Pizzo ( The Master’s college ), Jorge Jabaz (unat), Christian de Glymes ( Vanguard ),Jacob Goodin ( Westmont ), Russell Wesphal ( OCC ), and Perdo Saucedo ( OCC ).
The leaders hit 2 miles at 10:02 as the runners started to get strung out. De Glymes now had the lead and Olivarrias was in 4th but running strong. The race was still tight but OCC had most of their runners at the front of the race.
At three miles, Pizzo had the lead in 15:18 after going up Puke hill with de Glymes, Jabaz, and Olivarrias in tow. Ismaeln Samano ( ex JC ) and Russell Westphal were now working there way up to the front. As the runners ran the back side of the park the team race was now in full swing.
Both Westmont and Orange Coast had all there scoring runners in the top 30, the last 2 miles would decide the winner.
As they came into the finish, Christian de Glymes of Vanguard, the host school, claimed the victory in 25:24 in a new course record. Pizzo followed in 25:30, with Jabaz 3rd in 25:34. Goodin lead the team race with the first strike in 5th place 25:36. Olivarrias was 6th 25:44 and Westphal 7th in 25:56 to lead OCC. As the other runners followed Orange Coast held their ground to claim the victory with their 5 scores all in the top 25.
San Bernardino and Mt. SAC Take Brubaker
10/10/09
The San Bernardino Valley men and the Mt. SAC women were the team winners of the Brubaker Invitational which took place at Irvine Park this past Saturday. Both teams showcased impressive performances which led to comfortable victories.
In the men’s race, SBVC, led by Art Parra’s 3rd place finish, were able to place four runners in the top 10. This was more than any team could overcome, as SBVC went on to a 35 point victory over second place team El Camino.
In the individual competition, El Camino’s David Cardona took the title, just edging College of the Sequoias David Sanchez by only one second and Parra by three seconds. Sequoias’ Joseph Rivera placed 4th with LA Trade Tech’s Pedro De Alba taking the 5th position. El Camino and College of the Sequoias also placed 2nd and 3rd in the team competitions respectively.
In the women’s competition, Mt. SAC, the number three ranked team in Southern California, was able to defeat Riverside, the number 6 ranked team, by 20 points. Mt. SAC was led by outstanding sophomore, Lenore Moreno, who defeated fellow South Coast Conference competitor, LA Trade Tech’s Maritiza Hernandez, by 11 seconds.
Riverside did place three runners in the top 10, led by Larissa Davis, who took 4th overall. However, it was not enough to counter Mt. SAC’s six runners in the top 10.
Glendale Dominates in WSC Preview Meet
10/9/09
Both the Glendale women and men dominated the Western States Preview Meet which took place this past Friday. Hosted by LA Valley, this meet showcased several ranked teams.
In the women’s race, Glendale’s women kept up their impressive pace as they grabbed yet another victory. Placing five finishers in the top nine, no other team was within 80 points. The next closest competitor, Santa Barbara, was defeated by a score of 24 – 110.
However, the performances turned in by the Glendale women were not the only highlight of the competition as individual performers from other schools seemed to be closing the gap and in some cases actually surpassing Glendale athletes. Cuesta’s Kelly Barmann seems to be picking up steam as she defeated the rest of the field by nearly a half minute, winning in an impressive time of 18:15. Oxnard’s Cynthia Navarro also ran a tremendous race, placing 5th overall and Ventura’s Tefany Gonzalez was 7th overall.
The men’s competition was also a one sided affair as the Glendale men placed four runners in the top 10 to give them a 41 point victory over the second place Ventura team. Glendale was led by the outstanding performance of Francisco Quijada who placed 2nd behind winner Mark Moreno of Santa Barbara.
Other fine performances were turned in by Oxnard’s Isidore Herrera who placed 3rd and Marc Martinez of Ventura who took the 4th place position.
Results For more photos go to: http://imageofsport.com/sets/57428
Ranked Teams Flock to Foothill Inv.
10/2/09
The Foothill Invitational has continued to grow over the last few years and this year it gathered maybe its best field yet as several ranked teams toed the line. In the men’s race, six ranked teams were in attendance including three teams ranked in the top five.
Defending Foothill Invitational champion, San Bernardino, showed that they were still in the hunt for their fourth consecutive championship. Placing five of their runners in the top 10, SBVC dominated the event. Led by outstanding sophomore, Art Parra and his second place finish, the parade of SBVC athletes kept coming. SBVC accumulated a scant 29 points, defeating the runner-up and number 3 ranked team in the state, Glendale by 35 points. Also running well for SBVC was Raymond Dominguez who took 3rd overall and Ankur Joahi who placed fifth.
Southwestern’s, Dahir Mohamed kept his string of outstanding performances going as he took the victory. Other outstanding performances were turned in by Mt. SAC’s Sean Whitesitt who took 6th overall.
On the women’s side, Glendale kept dominated again, with a score of only 23 total points. Briana Jaruegui and Rosa Del Toro placed 1-2 for Glendale as they placed 4 runners in the top five. The number three ranked Mt. SAC team placed second led by Lenore Moreno, who took 7th overall.
Other outstanding performances were turned in by Southwestern’s Tanya Valenzuela, who led her number four ranked team with a 6th place position. Oxnard’s Cynthia Navarro was able to break up the Glendale sweep by taking fourth.
Results Men Ind. Women Ind. Men Team Women Team
Close Battles are the Order of the Day at Crystal Springs
10/2/09
With top teams from the north and one of the top ranked teams from the south in attendance, the Crystal Springs Invitational turned into an outstanding competition with very closely fought battles.
In the women’s race, Hartnell showed that it was ready to make an impact at state. In a very hotly contested race, Hartnell was able to grab four spots in the top 20 which was good enough to hold off the 5th ranked southern team, Cerritos who placed three athletes in top twenty positions. Hartnell was led by Ellie Herrera who placed 6th just holding off a hard charging Erica Sandavol of Cerritos who placed 7th overall to lead their teams respectively. De Anza placed 3rd overall with American River taking 4th and Sacramento placing 5th.
The race was won by College of the Sequoias' Allison Gonzalez with Sierra’s Amanda McNabb who took 2nd and American Rivers Claire Jenkins who placed third.
In the men’s competition, College of the Sequoias, American River and Cerritos all came in with hopes of winning the race. COS, after a back and forth race with both Cerritos and ARC. Led by David Sanchez's first place finish, made the hope of a team victory come true for Sequoias. His teammate Joseph Rivera placed 3rd.
Cerritos placed four runners in the top twenty five, including a 7th and 8th place finish by Gabriel Hilbert and Patrick Schwab. However, Cerritos finished just short, finishing behind COS by a mere 8 points. American River, who was led by Tomas Evangelista who took 5th overall, placed in the third team position.
Antelope Valley and Santa Barbara Grab Wins in Bakersfield
10/1/09
Behind the fine running of Ulises Aquino, Antelope Valley took the team title at the Bakersfield Invitational that was held this past Friday. AVC placed a total of three runners in the top ten, which was good enough to hold off a hard charging Ventura team that placed 3 runners in the top 15 to give them a 12 point victory.
Aquino ran a powerful race placing second overall behind the individual champion, Mark Moreno of Santa Barbara. Ventura’s Gabriel Solis placed third overall with Long Beach’s Edwin Rodriguez taking the 4th place position.
Other fine performances were turned in by Ventura’s Miguel Reyes who took 5th, Pasadena’s Ernesto Rodriguez who placed 6th, and Michael McEvoy of Canyons, who placed 7th.
In the women’s competition, Santa Barbara pulled a bit of an upset, defeating the rest of the 7 teams in attendance. Santa Barbara placed a total of four runners in the top eight, led by Seanie Rigney and Erika Shaeffer who took 2nd and 3rd respectively behind the winner, Tefany Gonzalez, from Ventura.
Ventura, placed 2nd as a team and also received a good performance from Stephanie Ramirez who placed 9th overall. Other fine races were run by Caitlin Choate of Antelope Valley who took 5th and Liliana Beltran of LA Valley who placed 11th.
Goldenwest Invite is Highlighted by Fast Performances
9/25/09
The Goldenwest Invitational featured a large gathering of squads as some of the top ranked teams in the Southern Cal region strut their stuff at Central Park in Huntington Beach this past Friday.
In a meet which also served as the Orange Empire Conference Preview Meet, Glendale kept up the blistering pace as they defeated a stellar field that included Mt. SAC, Riverside, El Camino and Fullerton.
On the women’s side, Nina Moore and Brianna Jauregui took the top two spots, holding off Mt. SAC’s Lenore Moreno who took the third position. In all, Glendale grabbed four of the top five positions which easily clinched them the team victory. Mt. SAC, behind the solid running of Moreno, placed 2nd with Riverside, led by Larissa Davis and Brenda Perez, taking the third team position. Fullerton and Citrus rounded out the top five.
On the men’s side, Glendale was every bit as impressive as they were in the women’s competition as they defeated the strong field which included five ranked teams. Glendale was led by Francisco Quijada, who took second place behind another outstanding performance by El Camino’s Jose Lezama, Southwestern’s Dahir Mohammed placed third. Riverside got another solid performance from Jeff Pelarde, which was good enough to help elevate the Tigers into the 2nd place team spot. They were followed by El Camino, Fullerton and Mt. SAC.
News from the North, Sequoias Takes the Men and Trade Tech the Women at Lou Vasquez
By Rick Anderson
9/24/09
One of the highlight meets on the northern calendar is the Lou Vasquez Invite held at Golden Gate Park in the beautiful city of San Francisco. This year’s event had some of the top northern schools in attendance including traditional powerhouses, College of the Sequoias and American River.
In the women's race, it was a duel between two SoCal runners, Maritza Hernandez (LATT) and Kelly Barmann (Cuesta) for the majority of the race. The two ran side-by-side for almost 3 miles before Hernandez (17:59) broke away toward the finish and won by 5 seconds on the flat and fast 5k course in Golden Gate Park. The Lou Vasquez Inivtational scores the meet by adding the times of the top 5 runners from each team. LATT easily won the team competition by nearly 4 minutes over 2nd place American River.
In the men's race it started out as a duel between Daniel Tapia (Hartnell) and Wyatt Landrum (Diablo Valley) with several athletes not far behind. After speeding through the first mile in 4:41, Pedro DeAlba of LATT joind the duo and took over the lead. At three miles David Sanchez and Joseph River (both of Sequoias) got into the mix, passed DeAlba and set their sites on Landrum and Tapia. Sanchez was successful in catching Landrum for 2nd, but couldn't quite catch Tapia, finishing 7 seconds behind the eventual winner. The top three all covered the fast course in under 20 minutes. Sequoias took the team title, beating 2nd place American River by 59 seconds, but a scant 4 points. Third to fifth was separated by only 7 seconds, with CCSF finishing in 1:45:03, Fresno in 1:45:04 and Hartnell in 1:45:10.
The OCC Classic Showcases So Cal Talent
9/19/09
In what was one of the largest OCC Classics in recent memory, over 25 colleges were represented this past Saturday in a competition that featured over 8 ranked teams on the men’s side and six ranked teams in the women’s contest.
Orange Coast continued it’s string of powerful performances as they were able to win both the men’s and women’s competition in impressive fashion. However, that was not the only story of the day as several teams made some statements that things could very well change during this still very young season.
In the women’s race, Kimone Hewitt of OCC was able to take over the race around the midway mark on her way to the victory. Her teammate, Andrea Guerra, also ran a great race placing in the 2nd position.
Mt. SAC showed improvement as all five of their scoring runners placed in the top 20 of the race. The Mounties were led by outstanding runner, Lenore Moreno, who placed 5th overall. Mt. SAC's strong showing would place them 2nd.
LA Trade Tech, led by Maritza Hernandez’s 4th place individual performance, was able to take the third position just edging Cerritos by 7 points, who had a tightly packed bunch of athletes helping to keep their team score low. They were followed by Oxnard College who took the 5th position.
Outstanding races were also run by Oxnard’s Cynthia Navarro who took 3rd and Ventura’s Tefany Gonzalez who placed 10th overall.
On the men’s side, a showdown between dual number one teams, OCC and San Bernardino Valley turned into a one sided contest as OCC placed all 5 of their scorers in the top 10, quickly dispensing of the three time defending state champion San Bernardino team.
SBVC still proved to be strong as they placed three runners in the top twenty, giving them a hold onto the 2nd team place. However, the rest of the pack seems to be closing. Mt. SAC, showed tremendous improvement from their race at Fresno placing 4 in the top 25, led by Sean Whitesitt’s 9th place performance. This was good enough to give them the 3rd place team position.
El Camino showed an impressive set of front runners as super freshman Jose Lezama took the individual title and teammate David Cardona placed 3rd overall. That front running was good enough to put them in the 4th position.
Cerritos, also showing consistency and good team packing was able to grab the 5th position behind Patrick Schwab’s and Gabriel Hilbert’s second set of solid showings in as many weeks.
Glendale Takes Both Races at Cuesta
9/19/09
The Glendale men's and women's teams both brought home victories at the Cuesta Invitational this past Saturday winning both races over a field of six other teams.
In the women's race, Glendale showcased a powerful performance which included five runners in the top eight. However, the race also included a tremendous performance by Cuesta's Kelly Barmann who defeated some of the top runners in the state to take the individual title on one of the most difficult courses in the state.
Glendale, for the first time this season ran a team with "All American" runner Katie Dunn who had a very respectable performance placing 9th overall. The Glendale team was followed by Cuesta who grabbed second place just edging the Hartnell team by one point.
The men's side was a closer contest between Glendale and northern powerhouse, College of the Sequoias. Sequoias was able to place two runners in the top three led by outstanding runner Joseph Rivera. However, Glendale countered with five in the top nine which was good enough for a 23 point victory over Sequoias. Hartnell took the third position. Daniel Tapia was the individual winner, taking the victory by twenty seconds.
Community Colleges Fair Well at UCR Invite
9/19/09
The California Community Colleges did quite well at the UC Riverside Invite that took place this past Saturday. Running for the first time with a full squad, Riverside placed 14th overall out of the largely university field on the men's side. They were led by outstanding performances of Jeff Pelarde who ran a very fast 25:01 on the 8k course. Pelarde's teammates Jesse Dorado and Daniel Cooper were the Tigers 2nd and 3rd runners.
Also running well in the men's division was Southwestern's Dahir Mohamed who placed 12th overall. Southwestern would place 20th in the team competition.
On the women's side, the competition was divided into two sections. Southwestern, with an impressive performance placed 21st overall led by the fine performances of Tanya Valenzuela who took 37th place and Nadine Mulvany who took 80th place.
In the second race, the Riverside women would have a very impressive outing as they placed 2nd overall, finishing just behind Pepperdine University. They were led by Larissa Davis who took 8th overall in the over 160 runner field. Another fine performance was turned in by Brenda Perez who was Riverside's 2nd runner, she placed 27th.
Orange Coast Has a Big Weekend in Fresno
9/12/09
After a dominating performance at Fullerton this past weekend, many were ready to hand Glendale’s women the State Title right now. However, how things can change in a matter of a week as Glendale was handed an unexpected defeat at the Fresno Invitational on Saturday. Orange Coast, the defending state champions sent a message that they were not ready to relinquish that title so easily as they placed all five of their scorers in the top 15 to give them a narrow 3 point victory over Glendale. Led by outstanding sophomore, Kimone Hewitt, OCC showed that solid packing could overcome frontrunners as the Pirates grabbed 5th, 7th, 8th 9th, and 12th scoring places giving them enough strength to take the victory. This was able to offset the 1-2 finishes by Glendale’s Nina Moore and Brianna Jauregui.
Other details became quite evident as other schools showed that they were definitely going to have to be dealt with by seasons end as well. Mt. SAC, placed 3 finishers in the top 20, placing them in the third position and serving notice that they are title contenders as well. Led by their outstanding runner, Lenore Moreno, Mt. SAC also was able to get their team under the 100 point mark.
Other schools with solid performances were Riverside who placed 4th overall and Fullerton College with a very fine performance placing them in the 5th spot. Other notable performances were turned in by Mallory Celaya of Mt. SAC who placed 6th overall and Riverside’s Larissa Davis who placed 12th overall.
On the men’s side, the OCC men turned in a dominating performance also placing 5 runners in the top 15 giving them the easy victory over the 2nd place team, Glendale. OCC was led by Sergio Olivarrias who placed 3rd overall and Raul Torres who took the 4th place position.
Other teams that finished well were College of the Sequoias who took 3rd place, Cerritos College who took 4th overall and American River, who placed 5th. Great individual performances included Glendale’s Francisco Quijada who placed 7th overall, Ulises Aquino of Antelope Valley who placed 9th and Cerritos’ Patrick Schwab who took 12th.
Results -- Men Ind Women Ind Men's Team Women's Team
El Camino and Southwestern Have Solid Performances at Irvine
El Camino and Southwestern both got solid performances from their athletes at the UC Irvine Invitational this past weekend. Running his second fine performance is as many weeks, Jose Lezama took 19th overall in leading his team to a 12th place finish in the university laden event. David Cardona, a 4:09 high school miler, also made his season debut as he placed 26th overall.
On the women's side, Southwestern showed up with completely new faces, however, got similar results as their women took 2nd overall. Placing 4 of their top five runners in the top 15 scoring positions, Southwestern showed they were a true contender. Led by freshman, Tanya Valenzuela, Southwestern was able to hold off several university teams.
Glendale Women and OCC Men Shine at Fullerton
9/5/09
For several years now, the Fullerton Season Opener has been a haven for California Community College teams to get the year started and the 2009 season proved to be no different. It also proved to be a great setting for the Glendale women’s team and the Orange Coast men’s team as they led the JC efforts in this well attended event.
In the women’s race, Glendale looked devastatingly good and clearly looks like the team to beat as they placed five runners in the top 65 including two runners, Brianna Jaregui and Nina Moore in the top five in a field that included over 260 runners. With those tremendous efforts, Glendale was able to place third overall and defeated the nearest two year school, OCC, by a score of 93 - 194.
Other notable performances were turned in by OCC’s Andrea Guerra and Mt. SAC’s Lenore Moreno who placed 31st and 33rd overall.
On the men’s side, OCC looked to be ready to take on anyone with a solid group of performances. Led by outstanding sophomore, Sergio Olivarrias, who placed 11th overall in a huge field of over 200 runners, the Pirates were able to grab 5 spots in the top 55. This gave them a solid score of 157, good enough for 5th. The Pirates were able to defeat their next closest JC competitors, Glendale, who scored 221 and Mt. SAC who scored 223.
Glendale received a solid performance from Johnatha Alpizar who took 33rd while Mt. SAC’s top performer of the day was Sean Whitesitt who took 39th overall respectively.
Trade Tech Takes Both Races at Ventura
9/4/09
The 2009 season got off to a very good start for LA Trade Tech as both their men’s and women’s teams took home victories at the Ventura Invitational this past Friday. The hot and difficult course proved to be challenging for all teams in attendance, which included ranked teams El Camino and Antelope Valley.
El Camino’s Jose Lezama led El Camino’s efforts as he took the men’s individual victory. He was followed AVC’s Ulises Aquino. Pedro De Alba was the first LA Trade Tech runner to cross the line as he place third. El Camino looked like they were going take the race, as they placed two runners in the top five. AVC was also able to place two in the top five with Ulises brother, Uriel placing 5th overall.
However, Trade Tech was able to counter as Damien Garcia and Eliezar Canchola placed 10th and 11th respectively. In all, Trade Tech had their five scorers place in the top 20 which gave them enough to edge Antelope Valley by a scant two points. El Camino finished in the third position.
Other notable performances were turned in by Edwin Rodriguez of Long Beach and Miguel Reyes of Ventura who took 5th and 6th respectively.
The women’s race was not nearly as close as Trade Tech defeated the nearest competitor, Ventura, by nearly 40 points. LATT’s Maritza Hernandez got off to a very nice start taking the women’s race. She was followed by Moorpark’s Madelyn Stoltz and AVC’s Caitlin Choate.
Like in the men’s race, Trade Tech got all of their five scorers to finish in the top twenty giving them the comfortable victory. Other fine performances were turned in by Ventura’s Tefany Gonzalez and Santa Barbara’ Seanie Rigney as they placed 4th and 5th. Citrus’ Vanessa Esquivel took 6th.
Cross Country Preview 2009
During the 2008 cross country campaign, we saw traditional powers move to the top as one team kept its title streak alive while another was able to grab a victory by the narrowest of margins and recapture the crown it had lost the year before. The season was a mixture of the expected and the surprising. The 2009 campaign promises to be no different and as always, the community college level could offer some rapid changes as key athletes move on, and new recruits move in.
So as the summer training continues, and teams start to ramp up for the opening of the fall season, we take our annual look at the top teams in the Southern California region and what we may look for as harriers get ready to toe the line.
Men's Preview
San Bernardino Valley (So Cal Champs – 1st, State Champs – 1st place) – SBVC has been at the top of the heap of the CCCAA men’s cross country world for the past three seasons and has been the closest team in recent memory that one could consider a dynasty. Part of their success has been their uncanny ability to rebuild. After going back to back in 2006 and 2007, many thought they would spend 2008 in a rebuilding mode. However, much to the dismay of their competitors, SBVC entered 2008, stronger than ever. Last year, SBVC placed three runners in the top ten, obliterating any hopes that another team would break their stranglehold on the title. Yet, even though they have been able to pull off the triple, grabbing another title could be even trickier. SBVC has to replace a tremendous amount of talent. Gone is outstanding athlete, Carlos Lopez and his teammate Matt Sartori. Manuel Bueno also will be departing as well as Ronell El Amin. All of those athletes placed in the top 35. Yet, SBVC does have talent coming back. Jared Bain who placed 10th overall in the state championships gives them a legitimate frontrunner as does Art Parra who placed 18th. Also returning is Ankur Joshi who placed in the 25th spot, giving SBVC a solid core for the 2009 campaign.
San Diego Mesa (So Cal Champs - 3rd, State Champs – 2nd place)- SD Mesa has finished in the bridesmaid position for two years but has truly established itself as one of the premiere programs in the state. The recent teams they have put together may have been champions in previous years had they not run into one of the dominant programs of the last decade. Last year, SD Mesa had a tremendous mix of front running and depth with Muluken Beressa leading the way winning the individual state title. Beressa will not be a part of the 2009 team, however, SD Mesa, always seems to have the ability to challenge for that elusive championship, and may be able to perform at that level again in 2009. However, like San Bernardino, Mesa will have more than just one major hole to fill. Along with Beressa, Barrett Tilley who placed in the top 15 and Mike Denman who took the 29th position at the state championships will be moving on. However, SD Mesa does have a frontrunner coming back in Marcos Corona who placed 7th overall. He should be a major player this upcoming season. Yet, the dominant men’s program of the “deep south” may have to reestablish it’s depth if it wants to retain it’s position.
Orange Coast College (So Cal Champs – 2nd place, State Champs 3rd place) – The Pirates returned to a top three position after a three year absence in 2008. At the beginning of the “08” campaign, the question was whether the Pirates were going to fill in some sorely needed depth. Yet, the Pirates did more than just fill in holes, they replaced their entire top seven with astounding results. No other team has more athletes returning or appears to be more dangerous than OCC. Coast returns every athlete from their top seven, this includes Russell Wesphal who placed 16th overall at last years championships. Also back is Luis Gallardo, Sergio Olivarrias, and Kirk Hunter, each of whom placed in the top 40. If that wasn’t enough, the Pirates added another outstanding runner in Eric Eyman, who transferred from Mt. SAC to Coast last spring. Eyman was the Mounties most consistent runner and placed in the 17th position at the State Championships, just behind Westphal. You add all of this together, and the Pirates are about as dangerous a team as they come and may be the preseason favorite took take the top step of the victor’s platform at the end of the year.
Rio Hondo (So Cal Champs – 7th place, State Champs 4th place) – For the first time in a long time, Rio Hondo emerged as a top finisher at the State Championships and one of the more consistent teams during the 2008 campaign. They did so mainly on the outstanding veteran running of a fine sophomore group. This included Ruben Martinez who placed 4th overall and 800 meter specialist, Ulises Lorenzo who took 22nd overall respectively. Ervin Romo was another outstanding sophomore who also was able to bolster Rio Hondo’s depth, placing in the 32nd position. After a successful regular season where they placed 2nd in the Foothill Conference Championships, Rio kept the momentum going for it’s fine season finale. However, Rio Hondo may be facing a season of transition. Besides losing their top three athletes, Rio’s is expecting to have its third coach in three years to open up the 2009 season. On paper, Eddie Aguilar, would be their top returner. He placed 68th overall along with Elizar Canchola who finished ten spots back of that. Yet, Rio will have to rebuild most of its squad in order to return to the State Championships in “09”.
Mt. SAC (So Cal Champs – 4th place, State Champs – 5th place) – The Mounties have been a mainstay of the elite programs in the state, always seeming to be in or near the top five every year. In 2008, they grabbed that spot once again. After winning the South Coast Conference, the Mounties had a strong meet at the So Cal Championships taking 4th overall. At Fresno, Eric Eyman led the way as Mt. SAC placed 3 runners in the top 45 which included Armondo Lara and Luis Medina. Mt. SAC always seems to reload and this year, they will need to do just that as Medina and Lara graduate and Eyman will be donning an OCC uniform this fall. Of their 2008 team, Sean Whitesitt is their top returning athlete, placing in the 62nd position at the State Championships. Aaron Armas after that is the only other Mountie athlete to place in the top 110 finishers that will be back for “09”.
Riverside (So Cal Champs – 6th place, State Champs 6th place)- Riverside started out the year as a team that looked like it could threaten the top three, and although it had a strong year, was not quite able to get to that spot. After placing in the top five of several invitationals, RCC placed 2nd to a very good OCC team in the Orange Empire Conference Championships and then moved onto the State Championships where they took the 6th spot. Riverside does have some solid freshman returning but will certainly need to work on closing the gap between their frontrunner and the rest of their pack. Jeff Pelarde, who placed 11th overall gives the Tigers a legitimate front running threat, however, Juan Ruiz, a solid runner on the “08” squad moves on.. After Pelarde, their next returner, Angel Sigeti, placed 74th overall creating a sizable gap between their groups. Also back, will be Joshua Fishelburg who is the only other returner who cracked the top 105 at the Championships.
Glendale (So Cal Champs – 10th place, State Champs – 7th place) – For the past few years, most of the attention directed towards Glendale has been towards their women’s teams that have been among the best in the state. However, Glendale does have a solid tradition on the men’s side and last year, they added to that tradition with a very respectable 7th place finish at the State Championships. Glendale was led by super freshman Nathan Sellers, who placed 9th overall at the State Meet and then came back to have a great season in track advancing to state finals in the 5000. Sellers should be a major factor this fall. As a team, Glendale could cause big headaches for their competition if they close the gap between their first and second finisher. After Sellers, their next finisher was Jonathan Alpizar, who will return this year, in the 49th position. Francisco Quijado who finished in the 59th position and Adrian Anderson who placed 83 overall could also be big time contributors.
El Camino (So Cal Champs – 9th place, State Champs – 9th place) – Coach Lofgren’s team put in another fine performance that was strong enough to place them in the top ten. Much of El Camino’s success can be traced to star runner, Steven Calise, who had an excellent overall season, culminating in a 12th place finish in Fresno. However, El Camino also got a solid season from freshman, Rio Enomo who placed 38th at the state meet that also helped them maintain their top ten status. Noah Lopez, who will also be back, placed 88th overall and could make a move in “09”. However, Jon Flores and Alex Gorney will be gone, leaving no other El Camino runner that placed in the top 100 returning to EC. Yet, Coach Lofgren always seems to be able to bring in key recruits when he needs them most and should never be counted out of any contest.
Cerritos (So Cal Champs – 5th place, State Champs 11th place) – The Falcons had a good season in 2008 placing 11th overall in the state and did show sparks that they could be dangerous at times. Like their women’s team, Cerritos lacked a front runner and had to rely mainly on packing. Yet, when their packing was going well, Cerritos proved to be tough. At the So Cal Championships this was very evident as the Falcons placed 5th overall with their top five a mere 14 seconds apart. The Falcons were not able to duplicate that performance at the State Championships causing them to drop to the 11th spot. Yet, the Falcons have a good core of returning athletes that could lead to a very good season. Although they do lose Roman Pena and Geovanni Popoca, Angel Aguirre who placed 34th at So Cal and 70th at State returns. So does Torion Bailey, who while only placing 63rd at State came back to win the State Championship in the 800 in track. Jose Amador will also return to the fold. Yet, if the Falcons are going to make a move they will need to have someone step up and become a front runner.
Santa Ana (So Cal Champs – 12th place, State Champs 15th place) – It is only fitting, that Santa Ana grabbed the last spot of the top ten finishing So Cal teams at last year’s championships. Who would have thought that the following year, Santa Ana, a team with so much rich tradition and history, would no longer be in existence? Yet, that is the sad truth. Santa Ana went out with respect, getting fine performances from Fidel Trujillo who took 27th overall and Lenny Santana, who grabbed the 51st position. Also, another notable performance was turned in by Saul Lopez who placed 77th.
Women's Preview
Orange Coast (So Cal Champs – 3rd place, State Champs – 1st place)- The Pirates were once again able to return to the top spot on the victors stand after Glendale had taken away the title in 2007. OCC was able to do it with the powerful 1-2 punch of Crystal Reed and Cassie Mitchell who placed 1st and 3rd overall, a difficult performance for any team to overcome. Replacing two high caliber athletes such as these is an extremely difficult feat. However, that is the task that is before Coast as both two time state cross country champion Reed and three time state champion track and field athlete, Mitchell, move on. This, on paper, would leave a sizable gap between their 2nd and 3rd runners that added up to nearly 22 points alone. That is not to say that the Pirates don’t return some outstanding athletes to the fold. Kimone Hewitt, who placed 25th overall at the State Cross Country Championship meet and had a solid track season, advancing to the State Championships in two different events is back. In addition, Andrea Guerra who placed 31st overall, gives them some strong mid level points. Also returning is Janina Emery who placed 33rd and Alexandra DeAvila who placed 52nd overall respectively. In addition, Maggie McDuffee, who qualified for the State Championships in track & field will also be a factor. What will determine OCC’s ability to defend its title is whether some of their returners can challenge for a spot in the top ten. Yet, year after year, OCC seems to be able to step up when it counts most and always seems to have someone ready to take on this particular challenge.
Glendale (So Cal Champs – 1st place, State Champs – 2nd place) – After winning the previous seasons title, Glendale had high hopes of returning to the top once again in 2008. The So Cal Championships seemed to be a good indicator of things to come as they took their third So Cal title in a row. Although they gave a valiant effort, they missed their mark by a scant two points at the State Championships. Basically, the equivalent of one of their scoring runners getting passed by a single athlete some time during the race. Glendale will undoubtedly try to return to the top again this year, but may have more work to do than in previous years due to graduation losses. Last year, they added outstanding freshman Katie Dunn to the mix of veteran athletes and she turned in a tremendous season culminating with a 5th place finish. Dunn should be a major factor for the 2009 season and certainly gives them an athlete capable of taking the individual title. However, Glendale does have some major holes to fill. Gone are outstanding runners Justina Sadauskaite and Brigette Fernandez, both of whom placed in the top 25 last season. With both of those runners moving on, the next fastest runner would be Rosa DelToro who placed 28th overall at the state meet. DelToro has the ability to move up and was consistent as she placed 20th overall in the So Cal Championships as well. Angelina Gonzalez is another runner who could add some depth as she placed 30th overall. In the final analysis, Glendale certainly has the frontrunner to put them in position, however, will need to add to their depth in order to be a contender for 2009.
Southwestern (So Cal Champs – 2nd place, State Champs 3rd place) – Southwestern looked to be world beaters at the beginning of the season with some devastatingly good performances at early events such as the UC Irvine Invitational. However, injuries took their toll during the year. Still, Southwestern looked primed and ready for the State Championships as they placed 2nd overall in the So Cal Championships two weeks earlier. Although they received strong performances from veteran runner Karla Atencio, who took 7th overall and from freshman standout Monica Carrillo who placed 11th overall, as well as having four runners in the top 20, it was not enough to place Southwestern in the top two team places. That being said, Southwestern might be better poised than any other team in the state to reach the victory platform in 2009. SW has three of their top four runners back, which includes, Carrillo, Monicah Jepkemboi who placed 14th overall and Aurora Scott who took 16th respectively. With three runners back who placed in the top 20, including at least one high level front runner, Southwestern is extremely dangerous. Denisse Correa who took 50th overall and Elizabeth Arias who took 62nd overall, also return to the fold which should bolster SW depth as well.
Mt SAC (So Cal Champs 5th place, State Champs - 4th place) – Mt. SAC, a team that consistently is in the mix of the states elite, was back again in 2008 with a strong performance placing 4th overall. Combining a nice balance of front runners and depth, the Mounties finished very well. Superstar runner, Christine Cortez placed 2nd overall while teammate Lenore Moreno was 4th. This combined with a big time performance by Jazmin Lopez, who placed 19th overall, gave Mt. SAC enough to place them in the coveted top five once again. Mt. SAC, does lose Cortez, yet, they have a plethora of athletes returning that will make them one of the more dangerous teams in the state. Moreno followed her stellar cross country season with a state title in the 10k in track. Lopez will return as will Jaqueline Villanueva who placed 39th overall and Emilia Rincon who finished right behind her teammate in the 41st position. A lot will also depend on the fortunes of Darlene Salmon, who at times showed flashes of brilliance during the 2008 campaign. If she is able to step up in the big meets, the Mounties will have one of the toughest teams in the state and should be a factor come championship time.
Cerritos (So Cal Champs - 6th place, State Champs - 5th place) – With three top five State finishes and three SCC Championships in the last five years, Cerritos has established itself as one of the top women’s programs in the state. For the past two seasons, the Falcons were able to maintain their top five status with depth and packing. They accomplished this in “07” and “08”, even though they had no runners placing in the top twenty in either season. In 2008, their top finisher was Sarah Muniz, placing 21st respectively. She led a foray of Falcons, four in the top 40, that gave them the mid level strength to hold off other contenders. Yet, the Falcons may have to change their approach this year as no other team in the top ten is getting hit harder by graduation then Cerritos. Six of the Falcons top seven runners move on, including Muniz, Shannon Simpson, Lucy Beuster, Daisy Perez, Alison Bartosch and Robyn Guggiana. Only Allison Garcia returns from their 2008 state meet team. Cerritos will also have to heavily rely on sophomore Erica Sandavol, who was on their So Cal team, filling in for the ailing Guggiana. Cerritos has been successful in bringing in solid recruiting classes in the past, something they will need to continue if they wish to replace a talented departing group of athletes.
Riverside (So Cal Champs – (4th place, State Champs - 6th place) – Another team that perennially threatens the top five, the Lady Tigers just missed the mark in 2008. Although, much of that had to do with youth that will serve them very well in 2009. Riverside, mirrored Cerritos in many ways. They did not possess a front runner, with their first athlete, Casey Glassey, placing 29th. Glassey does move on, however, 5 of their top 7 will return. This includes Larissa Davis who placed 34th overall at State and was a state finalist in the steeplechase. She was also in the So Cal Finals in the 5,000 meters. Another set of returners are Natailia Richeri, who took 36th and who advanced to the So Cal Finals in the 10,000 meters in track as well as Katherine Gomez who took 37th. Also in the mix is Elvira Del Toro who placed 48th respectively.
San Diego Mesa (So Cal Champs – 9th place, State Champs – 8th place) – For the past several years, the Mesa men’s program has received most of the attention. However, that may change with the solid 2008 freshman class that will return some impact athletes for the 2009 campaign. Back is Jana Stokes who showed real improvement over the course of the year and placed 18th overall at the State Championships. Her teammate, Michelle Thompson will also be back after a solid 32nd place finish. Samantha Espindola who also returns, is kind of the wild card of the bunch. She could have a very high upside as she saw very limited action in the 2008, however, was good enough to place in the top 40 at State. With three athletes in the top 40 last year, Mesa could make a significant move in “09”. However, they will need to work on improving the gap between their number 3 and 4 athletes. If recruiting goes well for them, this could be a team to watch.
Saddleback (So Cal Champs – 8th place, State Champs – 10th place) – Saddleback finished the season capturing the last spot in the top ten. They did so with a group of mid pack performances that were grouped well enough to get them into that elite placing. Saddleback was hoping to get a better performance out of Ines Flores who had a spectacular season in track in 2008. However, that performance level did not materialize in the fall as Flores finished a disappointing 63rd, thus limiting their ability to move up. Yet, Saddleback may have a new star on the horizon. Although she was pretty well hidden with a 42nd place finish at last years State Championships, Kelley Breen had a breakout season in track, becoming one of the top steeplechasers in the state. If she can take that momentum in to cross country, it could mean a big move for Saddleback. Also back is Rebecca Cain and Christina Cain who placed 78th and 91st respectively.
Santa Ana (So Cal Champs – (So Cal Champs – 7th place, State Champs – 11th place) – Santa Ana had one of its better seasons in recent memory, largely due to the efforts of star runner Diana Zapata. Zapata who placed 10th overall was able to defer enough points to keep the Dons in most major meets, which is why her absence will be so sorely felt. Zoila Garcia will return after placing a respectable 47th, however, after that, the points start piling up as their next athlete, Belen Cervantes, placed 85th overall. There is also going to be some transition on the coaching end, as Jeff Clingan, the man who guided them to that very successful season, has moved on.
Long Beach City College (So Cal Champs – 11th place, State Champs – 13th place) – The Long Beach women have gone through some transition in recent years with several coaching changes. However, LBCC seems to have been able weather the storm fairly well with several trips to the State Championships. Part of their ability to handle transition gracefully has been their success in getting at least one impact athlete into the mix every year. Last year, Jaasmin Pina, younger sister of former Mt. SAC standout Ozzie Pina, had an exceptional year in which she gained “All Conference” honors and placed 20th in the State Championships. Although that was good enough to get them into the top 15 at State, the massive gap between their first and second runner, Angela Irabba, who placed 81st overall, was not enough to make a strong attempt to crack the top 10. This year may even be more difficult, as Pina has moved on to Mt. SAC, and reports have Irabba transferring to LA Trade Tech, which only leaves Carley Lopez returning as the sole athlete to crack the top 115 at State.