Fresno

The recent dispersal of rain has not only purged the air, but it has helped highlight the California high school cross country competition as runners prepare for next month’s state championships on the same. Woodward Park 5 kilometer course that marked the boys of Newbury Park High as the real deal and the girls of Buchanan High as real threats to add to their 2019 State title.

“It’s a great day for the race,” Buchanan High coach Brian Weaver told his runners after sidelining Newbury Park and Oak Ridge on Saturday morning for the women’s title at the ASICS Clovis Invitational.

“Any day you can run it’s a big day! “

Weaver had reason to be happy. Less than a month after the Buchanan Girls finished third behind Newbury Park and a Texas school at the Woodbridge Invitational, juniors Sydney Sundgren and Grace Hutchison placed in the top 10 to help win a tag team title for the Bears.

Buchanan had 57 points to finish ahead of Newbury Park (65) and Oak Ridge (150).

Sundgren lost ground in the last mile but clocked 17: 36.5. Hutchison clocked 17: 41.9.

Freshmen Elliana Lomelí (16th, 17: 56.3) and Sierra Cornett (26th, 18: 15.4) contributed, as well as sophomore Stefania Seasock (18: 27.7).

“I’m very happy. You know, I was happy before I saw the results of the team,” said Weaver. “I was happy with the performance of the girls, from first to seven. They all performed exceptionally well. well run We’re moving forward and that’s all we really care about.

Weaver didn’t have a game plan for Buchanan to execute.

“We have a constantly evolving game plan because of the poor air quality here in the valley,” he said. “So we kind of had to adjust what we were obviously doing in training, and we really want to give the girls confidence to participate in it. They really haven’t tested themselves this week in training.

Saturday’s tag team title was Buchanan’s first girl to meet ASICS Clovis since 2012. Great Oak, who finished fourth on Saturday, had won the last six races.

Weaver acknowledged that having competitions like Newbury Park (the 2019 Division II State Champion) and Oak Ridge (the winner of the Del Oro Invitational on October 2) “brings out the best in you too, hopefully. “

“That’s why we go to these big competitions. That’s why they come here, ”he said. “You want to face the best.

On Saturday, the girls from Buchanan High were the best.

Newbury Park senior Samantha McDonnell won the women’s individual title edging Ventura High rookie Sadie Englehardt at the finish, 17: 02.1 to 17: 02.3.

Dominant Newbury Park, as expected

When the boys’ championship race started, the question was not who would win but who would dare to hang out with the top four runners in Newbury Park.

It turned out that no rider managed to break through in this fast group.

Colin Sahlman (14: 29.4), Leo Young (14: 33.2), Lex Young (14: 34.6) and Aaron Sahlman (14: 43.5) clinched the top four spots en route to 19 points for the best cross-country in the country. team.

The team’s fifth rider, Héctor Martínez, was 12th in 15: 15.9.

Great Oak was far second in the team standings with 154 points, followed by West Torrance with 249 points.

Clovis High junior Christopher Caudillo and senior Nathaniel Avila had good performances. Caudillo trailed with the leaders before slipping to sixth with a time of 15: 00.0 as he was edged for fifth by Zachary Ayers of Davis High, who had the same time.

Caudillo is happy to be chasing after the pandemic has crippled the cross-country and track seasons. However, smoke from the wildfires hampered his training for the last mile at Woodward Park.

“I was doing really well for the first two miles; I was able to stay in the leading group, ”said Caudillo. “So definitely the third mile was where I needed the most improvement. Now I know I have to work specially on that third mile to be ready when the condition comes.

Avila said he enjoyed having the much-vaunted Newbury Park team in the race, with hundreds of spectators focused on them.

“I just want to make myself run even faster because they are one of the best teams in the country and racing with them is such a pleasure,” said Avila.

It was motivating enough for Avila to cut her personal best by 40 seconds.

“My plan was pretty much just to get out there and try to hold my gun. I’m just hoping to try and get a big PR today, ”said Avila, who has her eyes set on the 15-minute mark.

Another Valley runner who set a personal best was Paul Quintanilla, senior at Corcoran High, who placed third in the small school division with a time of 15: 45.6.

“I wanted to see what I’m capable of. I really didn’t have the chance, ”said Quintanilla, who ran in second place for most of the race. He shaved more than 42 seconds off his previous record.

Now he’s aiming to win a Valley title in his division and finish in the top 10 in the state.

In the senior high school division, Daniel de Loera, senior of Sanger High, was third in 15: 40.9 and Guillermo López, senior of Central High, was next in 15: 49.5.

In the frosh-soph small division race, Matilde High (Madera) riders Brian Pérez (7th, 18: 25.4) and Víctor Godinez (8th, 18: 33.1) won a medal.

Max Jauregui of Buchanan High placed second in the big frosh-soph division clocking 16: 54.3 to help his school place second.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el October 9, 2021 5:07 pm.