The newly constituted Valle Vista league moved on Wednesday to Schabarum Park in Hacienda Heights, a tough hilly course that coaches say is about 30 seconds slower for the boys than Mt.SAC.
Miriam Jimenez
The Varsity girls was very competitive again, with representatives from four different schools taking the first four spots. Miriam Jimenez (Baldwin Park) still too strong for the field, winning in 20:24, followed by Alyssa Martinez of 4th placed San Dimas at 20:38 and Anna Trejo (Nogales) at 20:40. Then came team winner Covina’s #1, Rachel Falomir (21:02) and she was followed by the surprise of the day, Covina freshman Alondra Elizalde (21:22) running in her first ever varsity race and placing 5th. Covina then placed 7th, 14th and 15th to seal the race and to likely clinch at least a share of their third straight Valle Vista title. Baldwin Park, in second, had only had one other top 10, Lidia Alvarez (8th/21:57) while 3rd placed Northview put three up front – Elizabeth Esparza (6th/21:24), Johnnie Zambrano (9th/21:58), & Brittany Arrevalo (10th/21:58).
Alan Callison of Northview once again controlled the race after an interesting first mile that saw a big pack of Baldwin Park, Northview and Covina runners looking as if they were out for a training run. Callison won fairly comfortably (16:49), joined by Cris Cruz (6th/17:18) in leading his team to a third place finish. Covina’s Kevin Medina was a close second (16:56) in a switch of Covina’s Kevins, swapping spots with teammate Kevin Mejia who was 5th this time in 17:14. The Colts next three placed 7th 9th and 11th, almost an exact replication of meet #1, leaving them in position for their second straight league title following a drought of 16 years.
Baldwin Park moved from 4th in the first meet to 2nd behind a nice efforts from Christian Martinez (4th/17:14) & Richard Gutierrez (10th/17:41). Wilson, without anyone in the top 10, edged an apparently short-handed Nogales, 114-115 for 4th, despite the Nobles getting Top 10’s from Jorge Hernandez (3rd/17:11) & Edwin Partida (8th/17:30).
Complete results will follow. Varsity Top 10’s and leading teams after the jump
Special thanks to Covina Coach Erik Starkey for his help with this report.
The Arroyo boys followed up their big win in the first Mission Valley League cluster meet with an equally impressive win on Tuesday, again racing three miles over the flat course at Legg Lake. The Knights were not quite as dominant this time, with their 40 points edging South El Monte at 45. Each team put 4 in the top 10, the Knights led by a 1-2 finish from Sam Garcia (16:03) & Erick Alvarez (16:13), while the Eagles were led by Irving Alfaro (3rd/16:32) & Josue Linarle (6th/16:47), but each team was also missing a scoring performer from the first meet. This hurt the Knights the more, as the Eagles put 7 below Arroyo’s 5th, but AHS’s strength up front was enough for the victory.
Gabrielino, led again by William Ko (11th/17:13), made a big jump up to 4th and were just edged out of the all-important third spot by the Abraham Esparza (9th/17:04) led Rosemead.Mountain View was fifth behind another strong effort from Oswell Caal (7th/16:52), and Brandon Martinez (12th/17:15) and El Monte slipped to sixth.
Among the girls, Rosemead barely edged Arroyo in the first meet. This time, the Knights took a big step forward, putting all five scorers in the top 9, led by a 1-2 from Porntide Tingsuk (20:21) & Cindy Nao (20:27). Rosemead took a step in the other direction, holding out three of their top runners, fell back to second, led on the day by Top 10’s from Edlin Simentel (6th/20:55) and Tracie Wong (10th/21:21).
Gabrielino’s Daphne Lin, 12th in the first race, jumped all the way to 3rd at 20:44, while her team at 91 points fell just short of South El Monte’s 89for third place, with the Eagles being led by Jasmin Meza (8th/21:13). El Monte, led by Angie Tejada (14th/22:13)were just one more point back at 92, while Mountain View and Nayeli Santamaria (15th/22:19) were 6th.
The Sierra League got the second round of cluster meets rolling at Bonelli Park Tuesday, running under much cooler conditions over the new 3 mile Invite course.
Damien's Tom Ebiner
The Claremont boys and girls kept their spots from the first meet, with the CIF & State #1 guys posting a 1-2-3-4 finish and 26 points for an easy win over ranked Ayala. Their senior quartet of Paul Ross, Henry Falotico, & Colin Domonoske (all at 16:00) and A.K. Metoyer (16:03) broke away and ran as a pack over the last half of the race in a controlled effort. The young Wolfpack girls continued to improve and were again solidly second behind CIF ranked Ayala. Putting their five scorers in the top 17, and nice 12-13-14 grouping, they were led again by rapidly improving frosh Merin Arft (6th/19:43).
In the battle for the CIF qualifying 3rd place spot, the Damien boys, behind Top 10 efforts from juniors Tom Ebiner (6th/16:19) and Moses Baiden (9th/16:29), enjoyed a wider margin this time over 4th placed South Hills. The Huskies, missing Gilbert Mundo, their #1 from the first meet, were led by senior Johnny Flores (7th/16:23). So with league finals counting double in the standings, and assuming the other league teams hold their spots, the winner between South Hills and Damien at that meet will advance to CIF.
In the girls battle for the third spot, St. Lucy’s and South Hills flipped places from the first meet, with the Regents finishing third and the Huskies fifth. Running at full strength, St. Lucy’s were again led by senior Taylor Hebb (7th/19:48). South Hills enjoyed strong performances from junior Alex Borunda (5th/19:42) & especially senior Monica Arteaga (10th/20:11), but two of their usual top five had rough days, knocking the team back. This result creates a three way tie for third between the Regents, Huskies, and Chino Hills, so the winner among them at finals will take the final post-season spot.
Charter Oak were sixth in both races, led on the boys side by their excellent soph William Knoth (20th/17:05), while the girls, missing usual front runner Carly Lake, were paced by soph Zaira Covarrubias (33rd/21:51).
The South Hills Cross Country team has a strong history and an excellent present. The girls team has had a series of strong performances this year, especially important with their move into the tough Sierra League. One of their top runners has been senior Vianca Holguin, whose best performance so far was her 19:21/9th place finish at Sierra #1, and she’s this week’s featured runner.
How and when did you start running? – “I began running my freshmen year encouraged by members in the team.”
What is your favorite workout during XC season, and why?– “My favorite workout is hill repeats beacuse they make me strong and give me endurance for the races with hills.“
How much did you train over the summer? – “I trained eight times a week with my team.”
What do you think about or concentrate on during XC races? -“I think about my goal time I want to get or the people I want to beat.”
Five Fun Questions
Best Pizza? – “Michael Angelos”
Favorite Subject in School? – “Math”
Song that’s stuck in your head? – “What She Came For Remix”by Franz Ferdinand
What do you do with you hair when you run? – “French Braid”
Brand of Running Shoes? – “Saucony”
Vianca competed in yesterday’s Sierra League Cluster Meet. Look for the results later today.
Most SGV schools will compete in their second cluster meets, led off by today’s Mission Valley League meet over the flat, 3 mile course at Legg Lake in South El Monte, and the Sierra League on the new 3 mile Invite course at Bonelli Park in San Dimas.
The CIF and State ranked Clarmont boys and Ayala girls were big winners in at Sierra #1, with the Wolfpack setting a new course record. The story lines here are further back in the group, with Damien and South Hills battling for the third boys spot, while St. Lucy’s will be looking to recover their form to push South Hills out of the third girls spot.
At the MVL #1, the Arroyo boys and Rosemead girls were the winners as expected, with the Knights big winners while the Panther girls barely held off the Arroyo girls. The teams in this league tend to develop rapidly over the season, so the results could be very different this time.
The Claremont boys maintained the top spot in Div. II in the CIF Southern Section Divisional Polls, released on Monday night, on the strength of their course record performance at the Sierra League meet and their high placing at Clovis on Saturday. Glendora, still running shorthanded due to injuries, fell to 7th in that division. The Wolfpack were also ranked 38th in the national Powerade Fab 50 at ESPN Rise, a poll done before the weekend.
Bonita remain the top ranked SGV girls team, rather inexplicably staying stuck at 8th in the Div. III rankings despite several strong performances. And for the first time ever, the Glendora girls are ranked, coming in at 13th, in the ridiculously strong Div. II.
UPDATED: The Clarmont guys remain #1 in the Div. II State rankings, while Glendora are 8th.
Claremont senior Paul Ross remained the top local performer after his 15:21 for 6th place at Clovis, while Marissa Scott (So-Bonita) took over the top ranking on the strength of her 17:55 (and school record) at Mt.SAC. Moving into the Top 10 are Rowland’s David Galvez & Nick Rivera, and Damien’s Tom Ebiner – all with sub-16:00 efforts at Mt.SAC, and frosh Courtney Conchola (Rowland) and Megan Renken (Claremont).
Week 5 saw our athletes compete on the two most important XC courses in California, Mt.SAC in Walnut and Woodward Park in Fresno. At Mt. SAC, in the San Gabriel Valley One on One Challenge, Bonita soph Marissa Scott scored a huge PR and the top SGV XC performance this year, while in the state-wide Clovis Inviteat Woodwardthe Claremont boys reconfirmed their #1 State and CIF Div. II ranking with an excellent 5th place finish in the amazingly fast and deep Championship Race.
In Cluster meet action, the Mission Valley League held their first ever cluster meet with the expected Arroyo boys and Rosemead girls coming out top, while Glendora found out they’ll have two wait two more weeks to meet their new rivals when the Baseline League meet was canceled.
All XC roads in Southern California eventually lead to Mt.SAC, and a number of local schools got their first look this season at the famous, and famously hilly 2.93 course at the San Gabriel Valley 1 on 1 Challenge. This meet has the unique format of putting each teams #1 runner in one heat, and then each teams #2 in another, and so on.
Bonita’s soph Marissa Scott made the biggest noise, running a huge PR to finish second in the #1 race. Her 17:55 was a school course record and the top SGV performance this year. Her teammate Lexie Jackson was an easy winner (19:03) in the #2 race, but their team failed to place when their number #3 runner, feeling the effects of an earlier injury, DNF’d. St. Lucy’s, behind a 19:44 from Taylor Hebb were third overall, and the top locals in the meet’s top division. Three others came in faster than 19:30 on this tough, though course – Charter Oak’s Carly Lake (19:05). Baldwin Park’s Miriam Jimenez (19:17) and Rowland frosh Courtney Canchola (19:19), with Miriam and Courtney reaching that level for the first time.
The Rowland guys were 2nd and Damien 3rd (while shorthanded) as the two fastest rising local teams showed their stuff. Junior Nick Rivera (15:47) and soph David Galvez (15:52) of Rowland, and Damien junior Tom Ebiner (15:59) all dipped under 16:00 for the first time.  We should also note the amazing 16:09 Mt.SAC debut by Bonita frosh Dillon Nobbs.
In Div. II, the Covina girls were champs with Rachel Falomir (20:01) as their best, while the boys were 2nd, led by senior Kevin Medina (16:41).
Complete Results are here (pdf’s of each race). SGV top 10’s and each school’s best after the jump.
The Claremont boys ran very well in this meet last year, but the clock was about to strike twelve – with several runners already sick and the rest about to be with the H1N1 virus. Returning healthy on Saturday, the Wolfpack were easily the top Div. II team, and finished overall 5th in the prestigious Championship race. They were led by seniors Paul Ross (6th/15:21) and Henry Falotico (13th/15:31) in one the fastest races ever on this rolling 5000 meter course, site of the California State Meet in November. Seniors Colin Domonoske (16:02) & A.K. Metoyer (16:11) also chipped in excellent performances, with all four setting coure PR’s
Glendora, running without four of their top six because of injuries, illness and the SAT, was 16th in Champs race, paced by Anthony Castro (16th/15:35 – just off his course best) and junior Austin Mendoza (16:18).
Among the girls, GHS’s Lauren Justus was an excellent 7th (18:26) in the champs race, while her teammates, led by frosh Emily Hoey (36th/19:59) were 6th in the Div II race (and rank 2nd with Lauren’s time added in). Frosh Merin Arft (18th/19:29, =10th among frosh girls) and Megan Renken (24th/19:41) paced the Claremont girls to a 4th place finish in the DII race while South Hills was 9th behind junior Alex Borunda (26th/19:48) and senior Vianca Holguin (30th/19:53), who will be this site’s featured athlete on Wednesday
The Huskie boys were paced by Johnny Flores (33rd/16:29) to 9th place finish. The Rosemead girls were 6th in the Div. IV race, led by junior Kelly Luc (24th/20:25). The guys were 10th, with Abraham Esparza (27th/17:30) first across.
Complete Results are here and Dyestat Coverage is here.
Cross-Country in our area has two championship courses – Mt.SAC, where several league finals and CIF Southern Section Prelims and Finals are held, and Woodward Park in Fresno, which is the home of the California State Championships. Our local teams will get their first look at these courses this weekend.
Last year, twelve local schools competed in San Gabriel Valley 1v1 Challenge over the 3 big hills on MtSAC’s 2.93 mile course. The meet doesn’t have a website to confirm this year’s participants. Last year, this meet was a coming out party for Bonita’s then frosh pair of Marissa Scott and Lexie Jackson and they are scheduled to compete here again, along with 2010 Top 10 members Taylor Hebb (Sr-St Lucy’s) and Miriam Jimenez (Sr-Baldwin Park). Among the guys, the top locals will be from Rowland’s fast rising team. Along with these teams, look for Los Altos, Diamond Bar, South El Monte, Arroyo, Charter Oak, Damien, Covina, and Bishop Amat to compete here.
Four local schools, led by CIF and California #1 Claremont boys, will travel to Fresno to compete in the Clovis Invite. The Wolfpack will be joined in the prestigious Championship race, which combines most of California’s top teams, by CIF ranked Glendora, who will again be running short-handed due to injury and the SAT test. The Tartan’s Lauren Justus – ranked California #10 Div. II – will test herself in the girls Championship race. Her teammates will run in the D2 varsity race, along with Claremont’s girls and ’09 CIF finalists South Hills, whose guys will join Glendora’s second seven in the D2 varsity race. Rosemead, who just missed CIF Finals last year, will compete in the D4 races.
This site is maintained by Bob Ramsey – a SGV T&F athlete (Arroyo ’80), and former coach at Glendora HS and Meet Director of the SGV Champs. Bob is currently Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at Whittier College
