Cross Country Express

Know It All Clinic, August 1 in Carpinteria for John Larralde: 2 weeks from today

2009-07-18T11:59:00.000-07:00

Check following site for information about the clinic.
www.warriorcountry.com/track/KnowItAll/clinic.htm

The following is information about the clinic. Attached is a registration form and possible agenda. Some of you will be getting this more than once as you are on other email lists also. If unable to come to the clinic, might consider a donation and or items for the silent auction/raffle.

So far for the silent auction, Runners' Workshop has donated a week at camp (minimum bid of $100). XC Stats has donated this year and next year of XC Stats. Relay Apparel has donated $225 of tee shirts. Mt Sac has donated fleece jackets plus over 100 other items. Vern Gambetta has donated autographed books. Venue Sports has donated a Seiko printing watch along with coaches' gifts. Running Warehouse has donated numerous items. Saugus High School cross country has donated 10 shirts. San Ramon Valley Cross Country has donated tee shirts and socks. Bob McGuire has donated a pair of size 12 Nike Air Pegasus and numerous items from the Arcadia Invitational and the Mt Sac Invitational. Other items include tee shirts, hats and various running memorabilia.

Information for coaches: Also attached will be a registration form and possible agenda. Check out the list of outstanding distance coaches at the end of this email. Additional sessions may be added to the agenda, so please check back to the Carpinteria Web site.

We are putting on a fund raising (and fun raising) clinic to help benefit John Larralde, the long time coach at Carpinteria High School. John was in a coma for a week and hospitalized for 4 weeks due to complications from the MRSA staph infection. As a result, he has some rather significant hospital bills. John has done so much for so many and we are trying to help him with those bills. Some of you may know him as a former assistant at Cal, or the head coach at Santa Barbara City College. Still others may know him in his present position, as an assistant at Westmont College. For many years, he was one of the guiding lights for the fantastic Carpinteria High program, coaching such outstanding athletes as Coley Candaele.

Brian FitzGerald of Rio Mesa, Kevin Smith of Oak Park, Tim O'Rourke of Mt Sac and LA 84 fame, Ken Reeves, and Van Latham of Carpinteria have banded together to form the "fly by the seat of the pants productions" to create the return of the Know IT All Clinic. Originally active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was a very informal clinic where high school staffs met in event areas. This was not your powerpoint/lecture clinic, it was high school coaches helping each other coaching high school athletes from the fastest to the speed challenged. The curriculum is coach driven and each session will be unique The clinic always concluded with a very enjoyable coaches' social.

This year, the clinic is scheduled for August 1 in the lovely seaside town of Carpinteria. Bring the family, bring the staff and enjoy a weekend of interaction, sand, surf and enjoyment. The cost per staff is $100. Individuals can attend for $35. All proceeds will go directly to John's hospital bills and no speaker fees will be paid. However, in these tight times, if you would like to attend and don't have the money, come down for the interaction and forget the clinic fee. On the other hand, if you are unable to attend and would like to make a donation to help with John's bill, please don't hesitate to send me a check (make them out to Carpinteria Boosters, John Larralde fund).

Vern Gambetti, the founding father of functional training and former Cal Bears head coach will be there to work with Brian FitzGerald and Kevin Smith on the sprint staff. Fred Morgan, the highly successful throws coach from Ventura High (coached CIF D1 Champion in the boys' and girls' shot and Masters' Champions in the boys' shot and girls' discus), Terry Hearst and Erik Pedersen of Royal Results (timers for Division 4 CIF prelims, CIF Finals, CIF SS Masters Meet, USC-UCLA Dual Meet, Arcadia Invitational, Ventura County championships along with several other meets) will do a session on Hy-Tek including meet manager and team manager. Other specific staff members will be listed as information comes available. See attached flyer for more information.

Please contact Ken Reeves at kenreeves@sbcglobal.net if you would like more information or if you would like to make a donation.

Rex Hall (Dana Hills Girls), Tim Butler (Dana Hills boys), Lalo Diaz (Loyola), Kevin Smith (Oak Park), Pete Dolan, (UCSB) Jonathan Zimmerman (Biola University, formerly at Orange Lutheran), Robert Radnoti (Pepperdine Coach, formerly at Thousand Oaks), Nancy Fredrickson (Ventura College), Scott Guerrero (Loyola Marymount University) Peter Brewer (Northgate), Tim Hunter (San Ramon Valley), Tim O'Rourke (former Arroyo coach-First California state championship team and National champions in 1986 and 1987 and director of LA 84 CC and Track and Field clinics plus meet director for the Mt Sac CC Invitational and Mt Sac Relays), Bill Tokar, Marty Simpson (Buchanan Boys and Girls and Co-Director of California State Meet), Brian Weaver (Buchanan Boys and Girls and Co-Director of California State Meet), Drew Wartenburg (UC Davis), Cary Nerelli (Morro Bay), Steve Boaz (San Luis Obispo) Walt Lange (Jesuit), Jim White (former McFarland), Amador Ayon (present
McFarland), Mike Smith (Camarillo), Irv Ray (UCR), Preston Grey (APU), Russell Smelley (Westmont College), Len Miller (former UCI, ASU and Steve Scott coach, introduced Eric Hulst to Distance running as a frosh at Laguna Beach High School[9:04 and 4:11 as a frosh for 2 mile and mile on dirt]-will have to leave early due to dinner date with John Wooden), Luis Quintana Jr (head CC coach at Arizona State University), Armando Siqueiros (Mission College Prep and Jordan Hasay's coach), Jim McCarthy (University City of San Diego: Coached Mac Fleet this past year), Jacqueline Hansen (former world record holder in the marathon) have already committed to being involved.

Ken Reeves

Sac-Joaquin Section (SJS) Boys Pre-Season Rankings by Jason Jimenez

2009-07-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is an outline of the top SJS Boys teams. Teams are ranked within their 2008 divisions. Some teams may move up or down divisions. Only Divisions 1-3 have been ranked.

Division 1

1 Davis

2 Grace Davis

3 Franklin

4 Modesto

5 Galt

Davis Sr. returns 4 of its Varsity banner winning squad. With a deep stable of very

capable harriers, the Blue Devils are nearly guaranteed another title. The questions remaining are how fast will they actually run and, for curiosity's sake, will Jesuit or Oak Ridge actually move in to Division 1 to add a little spice?

Grace Davis through Galt all seem to have squads capable of putting together something special in 2009.

Watch: Lincoln-Stockton, Sheldon, Kennedy

Division 2

1 Oak Ridge

2 Jesuit

3 Del Campo

4 Fairfield

5 Woodcreek

No one would have guessed that Woodcreek would win the most competitive division in the SJS last year. But that's

why the sport is so exciting. Anything can happen. Oak Ridge has the tools and the know-how to dominate this division.

Never sleep on Jesuit or Del Campo... or Fairfield for that matter. Just like last year, if all these teams remain in this

division, this could be the most exciting SJS race in November.

Watch: Ponderosa

Division 3

1 El Camino

2 Placer

3 Del Oro

4 Sonora

5 Woodland

Last year El Camino won its first Varsity banner in over 40 years. My magic 8 ball tells me another one might be on its

way in 2009. The Eagles lose only 1 scorer from 2008, leaving a junior-dominated group left to get the job done. This

won't be necessarily easy as two very capable teams in Placer and Del Oro are more than willing to race hard when the

time comes. The depth in this division is nowhere close to the larger divisions so I would not expect for any other teams

to legitimately challenge for the very coveted 2 State berths.

Watch: Division 3's top teams are essentially settled with those top 5.

--
Jason Jimenez

XCStats 2009: More for Less

2009-07-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

Every year we add more functionality to XCStats. For 2008, we added an email system, which collects addresses from parents and runners and lets coaches send emails directly from a private XCStats web page, and a goal-setting tool which allows runners and coaches to collaborate on appropriate goals. And for 2009, the new features are:

A completely new graphical design. It’s better looking and easier to navigate.
A private discussion forum, only accessible by coaches, runners and parents. It helps engage runners and parents and, because it’s private, no moderator is required!
Subscribers now have access to our massive California cross country database. It includes 6 new reports for team and individual results.
Even more reports, now 24 reports and 10 graphs!

That’s the MORE part. Now for the LESS. For new subscribers, PAYMENT IS OPTIONAL for 2009! That’s right. You don’t have to pay! The feedback from our existing runners, families and coaches is so positive, that we wanted to give every high school in California the opportunity to experience the benefits without obligation.

Write me at mike@xcstats.com to find out how to get started. To quote a coach from an existing subscriber at a recent clinic, “You’re crazy if you don’t do this.” You may not actually be crazy, but the point is that this is too good to pass up. The offer expires August 22^nd, so act quickly!

Mike Sherwood

XCStats.com

mike@xcstats.com

World Youth Championships in Italy by Erik Olson

2009-07-16T11:20:00.001-07:00

Italy was possibly the most amazing experience of my life. Having never been to Europe before, I was very excited to just be there, let alone race international runners. When I first heard my name called stating that I had been chosen to represent the USA I almost collapsed in excitement. After such a dismal showing at the trials I was questioning whether I was truly qualified to go to Italy. Fortunately, the coaches that made the decision looked at my previous accomplishments and decided to bring me along, thus opening up an entire new set of opportunities for me.

Once we arrived in Munich, we drove for another 2 hours to get to the Sudtriol region of Italy in the Alps where the race was held. During many of the days, Zach and I had to improvise our training schedule due to complications in travel. These improvisations did not affect us and we still got in some solid workouts prior to the race.

Then the racing began. Going into semi's, I was not to confident that I would make it to the finals. However, as the race unfolded I found myself in third place, which meant I automatically qualified for finals. After the semi final races both Zach and I were pumped since we both made the finals. We talked about strategy and looked forward to pushing each other to the limit.

At the final race Zach ran amazing and his outstanding run contributed to me running a personal best. We were both extremely happy in finishing in the top ten in the world and glad that we finished our seasons off with a bang. I am so proud to have represented my country. This trip formed a brotherhood among all the athletes that I am proud to be apart of. I am also thankful for everyone's support and encouragement. I ran this race not only representing my country but representing everyone that had supported me throughout the years.

-Erik Olson

Next up in the next few days...

2009-07-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sac-Joaquin Rankings for boys (Division I-III).

Erik Olson talks about his World Youth Championship experience in Italy.

Open to ideas. Email me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com

2009 NCS Division III Pre-Season Rankings

2009-07-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Before I start with the NCS Division III pre-season rankings, I would like to thank all the coaches and athletes out there who are so forthright with pertinent information for this coming season.

Here is a link to all the NCS divisions for 2009:
http://cifncs.org/sports/cross_country/files/09CCdiv9-12.pdf

The 2008 season was a banner year for this division as the top two boys teams (Campolindo and Petaluma) waged an exciting battle throughout the season that ended with both teams on the podium stand at the state meet. Campolindo finished in 2nd place behind the Barstow juggernaut scoring 101 points trailed closely by Petaluma in 3rd place with 109 points. The week before, Campo narrowly edged Petaluma by 5 points (37 to 42) to win the '08 NCS Division III title in the fastest team time (1:17:55) in NCS history. There is no question that both teams drove each other to new heights as Petaluma ran the 2nd fastest team time ever on the Hayward course with a 1:18:02.

This year's prognostications will be a bit more difficult as most of the top teams lose a lot of their main players due to graduation and other reasons. With that in mind, the team that appears to be returning the most firepower has to be Las Lomas. While they do lose their #1 from last year (Michael Jamieson), LL returns their #2 (Carl Gracely), #3 (Michael Gemar), #4 (KC Green) and #6 (Neal Williams). LL has also improved or maintained their place in NCS the past 4 years with the following finishes: 2005 in Division II-6th place, 2006 in Division III, 4th place, 2007 in Division III-3rd place and 2008 in Division III-3rd place. Where will they finish in 2009?

Behind Las Lomas, the next team appears to be Petaluma which returns one of the fastest runners in the section. That would be Hugh Dowdy who finished 5th at the NCS meet and alternated as the 2nd/3rd man on the team throughout the year. They also will have an improved Forrest Shaffer who was their 5th runner last year in their epic duel with Campo at the NCS MOC. Another runner to watch for Petaluma this coming season is freshman Kevin Poteracke who's already made a name for himself as a member of the Santa Rosa Express Club.

The next group of teams all have some solid runners returning and questions marks. Acalanes
graduated two key runners but returns #1 runner Toshi Kellogg, Brett Cantrell and two 9th graders who gained valuable experience last year, Tyler Sorensen and Tyler Troxel. Trivia question time. W other track event does Tyler Sorensen compete in nationally?

Campolindo, the two-time defending champions, return one experienced runner from last year's NCS team, Paul Jackson (16:04). Douglas Chudler who ran 9:54.9 on the track seems to be the leader of this year's team based on what he did on the track. They have a solid group of young runners ready to step in but how quicly they gel as a state contending team will be determined during the summer and season.

The wildcard team, as in past seasons, will be Eureka. It's tough to find any information on this team except for the few times that they travel to some of the bigger invitationals like Stanford. Looking at the results from last year's NCS meet, Eureka will have their top 5 runners returning who all run under 17:10. Based on what they have done in the past (including a state championship in 1999), Eureka should not be overlooked.

Another team to watch during the season will be Miramonte, which will be led by Peter Buscheck who ran 16:02 at Hayward last year and ran 9:42 on the track. They will also have freshman find Jamie Fehrnstrom, 800m. state meet qualifier Nick Vedovi (1:55.77) and football player turned cross country runner, Christian Britto. While they proved themselves on the track last season, it remains to be seen if they can translate that to the xc course.

The road to the individual title will go through Novato as Erik Olson is the overwhelming favorite to win his first NCS title. Erik finished 33rd as a 9th grader, 5th as a 10th grader and 3rd as an 11th grader. Based on the fact that he is the fastest returner, Erik would have been the favorite this year but what really elevated his status was his track and field season when he made running sub 9 minute 3200m. a common occurance. His closest pursuer and the only other runner that finished in the top 10 last year will be Hugh Dowdy of Petulama (4:29.09 and 9:40.39).

The early favorite to win the girls' team race will be Campolindo HS. While they lose a key contributor in Lisa Rosenthal, Campo returns everybody else. Carrie Verdon finished an impressive 3rd last year as a 9th grader and followed that up with sub 5:10 and 11:10 (5:09.4/ 11:01.7) clockings on the track. Not far behind her will be junior Grace Orders who was right with her on the track with 5:10.5 and 11:03.4. They will be backed by solid Sara Mostatabi (5:23.2/11:27.4) who finished in 13th place at last year's NCS meet.

Ranking girls teams in the summer is a shaky proposition as freshmen girls can contribute to teams right away. I am aware of a couple of freshman girls that will help some teams, but for the most part, I will learn about the impact runners along with everybody else, after the first few races.

The next team appears to be Bishop O'Dowd who will lose stud Damajeria Dubose but return runners 2 through 6. They have a long history of success whether they have been in Division III or IV so for now I will post them in the 2nd slot. The next two teams, Las Lomas and Redwood, return the whole arsenal of weapons as runners 1 through 7 are all back. Interestingly enough, Redwood had all seven runners return for the 2007 season and 6 for the 2008 season. Las Lomas qualified for the state meet last year so they have to be considered as well.

Now comes the wild card teams who could finish anywhere from 2nd to 8th place. That list includes the defending champions, Maria Carrillo, who lose the majority of their NCS championship and 3rd place state meet podium team but return their top two runners, the Curtin twins (Lauren and Cara). Petaluma also returns their top two runners, Isabel Andrade and Francesca Honey who both finished in the top 5 with Andrade winning and Honey in 5th. The last of the wild card teams might be a surprise to most as Acalanes didn't even field one competitor at last year's NCS meet. However, they return Emily Shearer and Katie Berge and appear to be adding a couple of talented freshmen.

As is usually the case, the favorite to win the individual title will be the returning champion, Andrade of Petaluma. She has proven to be an incredibly tough racer who has had success in cross country and track and field. This past season in track, Andrade qualified for the California state meet by finishing 5th in the 1600 but with a time (4:56.29) that made the at large mark. Her competition will be an array of returners from last year's race that includes Carrie Verdon and Grace Orders of Campolindo, Lauren and Cara Curtin of Maria Carrillo and Francesca Honey of Petaluma.

Division III Boys (Top 4 Advance to state)
1) Las Lomas-Lose leader but return everybody else.
2) Petaluma-How quickly can they reload post Lockert era?
3) Campolindo-Douglas Chudler will lead the way.
4) Acalanes-Have the ability to break into top 3.
5) Eureka-Mystery team from up north.
On the bubble: Miramonte, Albany, Northgate

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2008 NCS meet time:
Erik Olson (3) Novato 15:12
Hugh Dowdy (5) Petaluma 15:34
Toshi Kellogg (12) Acalanes 15:49
Carl Gracely (13) Las Lomas 15:52
Michael Gemar (15) Las Lomas 15:53

Division III Girls (Top 4 Advance to state)
1) Campolindo-Great group up front but need to add depth.
2) Bishop O’Dowd-History of success when it counts.
3) Acalanes-Freshman help is on the way.
4) Las Lomas-Veteran group looking to improve from last year's finish.
5) Redwood-Looking to qualify to 4th straight state meet.
One the bubble: Maria Carrillo, Petaluma, Miramonte

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2008 NCS meet time:
Isabel Andrade (1) Petaluma 17:47
Carrie Verdon (3) Campolindo 18:03
Lauren Curtin (4) Maria Carrillo 18:14
Francesca Honey (5) Petaluma 18:22
Cara Curtin (6) Maria Carrillo 18:39

Please feel free to comment on above rankings. Any additions or corrections are welcome.

2009 NCS Division III Pre-Season Rankings will be posted shortly...

2009-07-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

Article and predictions are almost complete. Look for them in the AM.

Anybody want to throw a few predictions out there in this division? Who are the top teams? Individuals? Any impact freshmen? Surprises? Who is putting in the mileage in the summer and looking sharp?

Jason Oswalt's 2009 NCS Division I rankings as translated by Peter Brewer

2009-07-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

The following is the NCS Division I XC rankings as posted by Jason Oswalt and translated by Peter Brewer. We are very lucky to have both coaches contribute to our sport. Thank you to both.

North Coast Section 2009 Pre-Season Cross Country Rankings

Jason Oswalt, Amador Valley High School

The landscape in Division I is a little bit different this year. Moving down to Division II are the reigning men’s champions and female runners up, College Park Falcons. But in to replace them are the Livermore Cowboys and Lady Cowboys and the De La Salle Spartans. I have collected results from each of the schools that I believe can finish in the top 5, but I know I have missed some and probably many prs and I don’t know anything about incoming freshmen, those that have quit, or any injury situations, so forgive me if some mistakes are glaring. Even so, I think that there is enough information here to get a picture of what each team has coming back this fall. With that said, ladies first…!

Girls:

#1 Castro Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Kelsey Santisteban 11 HAAL 2 18:51 3 18:10 54 19:03 2:26.26 5:02.39 10:57.27
Marissa Martinez 11 HAAL 4 19:15 7 18:44 114 19:46 2:37.15 5:42.08
Nicole Yang 12 HAAL 5 19:26 17 19:10 98 19:33 2:36.96 5:30.85 12:20.02
Chelsea Schneider 12 HAAL 6 19:43 20 19:20 147 20:28 2:16.96 5:36.80
Gabrielle White 11 HAAL 9 20:06 22 19:21 117 19:47
Samantha Fong 10 HAAL 53 20:32 173 21:33 2:43.62 5:52.64 12:50.01
Elise Wummer 12 HAAL 2:21.39 5:20.70 11:18.86
Emily Picillo 11 HAAL 2:32.20 5:51.78
Ashley Sudetja 12 HAAL 2:41.68 5:46.54

Not to jinx this team, but Castro Valley should win another NCS title this November. This veteran group has been here before and gotten the job done. Since Cross Country, the Trojan ladies have put together some nice numbers on the track showing again that they are no fluke. They bring back six athletes from last year’s post season top seven and have a nice complement of veterans ready to step in and help out. This team has some unfinished business with a certain course in Fresno which greeted them rudely last November and I’m sure they are counting the days until they get to right the wrongs done by Woodward.

#2 Monte Vista

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Kyla Aiuto 10 EBAL 10 20:07 9 18:50 111 19:44 2:26.99 5:31.60 12:22.29
Nicole Aha 12 EBAL 8 20:06 12 18:57 5:15.92 11:12.04
Kelly Peterson 12 EBAL 41 21:57 16 19:13 5:43.76 12:06.00
Natalie Scott 12 EBAL 32 21:15 38 19:57 5:55.86
Kimmy Abood 12 EBAL 27 21:08 49 20:20 2:34.20 5:25.30 12:03.84
Angelyn Brown 10 EBAL 42 22:07 93 22:45
Kristina Chin 10 EBAL 7FS 14:24 2:34.34 6:01.87
Mickaela Hammitt 10 EBAL 2:15.93
Jill Anderson 11 EBAL 2:26.96
Lauren Gratsch 10 EBAL 2:29.31

Coach Mike Davis probably won’t like that I pegged his team as the second best in the division, but look how deep they are! Aiuto qualified for state individually as a freshman last year, Aha ran 11:12 in track, they found a 2:15 freshman 800 meter runner in the spring, and have two others under 12:10 for 3200m as well as two more under 2:30 in the 800. On top of that, they bring back six of their top 7 from last year’s post season squad (missing out only on Captain Kaitlyn Kelly). This team is too talented and too well coached to not make a run at the state meet this year.

#3 Livermore

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Natalie Dimits 10 EBAL 7 19:55 10 18:34 37 18:48 2:29.03 5:09.25 11:17.70
Kiely Zeitler 10 EBAL 21 20:48 18 19:20 109 19:54 2:30.99
Hayley Sa 12 EBAL 38 21:42 35 20:03 105 19:48
Megan Chamberlain 11 EBAL 54 23:32 2:33.26
Stephanie Beaulieu 10 EBAL 2FS 14:13
Amity Gregg 10 EBAL 9FS 14:36 5:53.21 13:00.93
Marcela Vazquez 12 EBAL 2:35.05

Castro Valley may be the favorite, but they better pay attention because Livermore finished a lot closer to the podium at state than Castro Valley did last year. They finished 5th in the Division 2 race. Unfortunately, for Livermore, and maybe for the fans as well (cross country has fans?), this Livermore team isn’t quite the same as last year. Diana George, Abigail Gregg, and Robin Roque all rode off into the sunset and the suddenly young lady Cowboys (or Cowgirls if you prefer, I don’t) will have to learn to win without nearly as much veteran support. We know the talent is there. Natalie Dimits is fast and Kiely Zeitler was very good last year, but can Hayley Sa provide the senior leadership? Can the team find enough depth to get back to the show? We could all ask Coach Eddie Salazar, but I don’t think he’d answer the question until November anyway.

#4 California

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Colleen Lillig 12 EBAL 1 18:28 1 17:38 17 18:16 2:18.74 4:59.46 10:32.30
Elaine McVay 11 EBAL 12 20:14 15 19:02 5:21.51 11:06.51
Tracy Hong 11 EBAL 34 21:28 47 20:14
Ramsey Delano 11 EBAL 49 22:38 61 20:52
Dorrothy Chow EBAL 6:13.52

This is probably the most deceptive ranking of either gender. Why? Because I watched Cal run enough times during the last track season to know that they have more good runners than this. I just do not know their names and can’t find any results for them. So we all know that on a good day, Lillig could win the race and maybe even on a not so good day. Hopefully you were watching closely enough to see how tough Elaine McVay is and realize that they have a hell of a 1-2 punch. What I’m telling you is that there is more than that. We will just have to wait until the fall to figure out who those girls are.

#5 (The Army of) San Ramon Valley.

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Val Regalia 11 EBAL 33 21:21 33 19:52 2:35.40 13:51.16
Kelly Nordine 11 EBAL 15 20:27 35 19:54
Sarah Athearn 11 EBAL 40 21:54 44 20:11 2:33.75 5:32.46 12:04.99
Morgan Endicott 11 EBAL 37 21:42 54 20:36
Lauren Kwan 12 EBAL 43 22:11 55 20:38 5:57.98 13:10.47
Montana Baumann 10 EBAL 50 22:39 74 21:44 2:37.19 5:33.47 11:59.05
Kaity Dickson 11 EBAL 4FS 14:14
Marissa Lee 10 EBAL 5FS 14:18 2:49.26 5:39.31 12:13.17
Jessica Lawrence 11 EBAL 8FS 14:34
Annie Humphrey 11 EBAL 10FS 14:43 2:46.99 5:50.33 13:33.35
Laura Leach 11 EBAL 11FS 14:44
Annie Valceschini 11 EBAL 12FS 14:45 2:37.56 5:56.90 13:10.11
Liz Hebel 10 EBAL 5:47.70 12:02.87

The theme of this year’s San Ramon Valley team is depth (on the guy’s side too, but I guess that’s a spoiler). When Tim Hunter started coaching the Wolves, he was sort of a one man wolf pack, but after a while, his wolf pack grew, and look at it now. There is no star on this team, but there is quality up and down. This team could field a second varsity team that might finish top 10 in this race. The Wolves will score in bunches this year, but what they will need to beat any of the teams ahead of them is for a couple of these ladies to take it to the next level. There are so many of them though, that there are plenty of opportunities for them to do just that.

Knocking on the Door (Alphabetical)

Amador Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Kaitlyn Melo 10 EBAL 26 21:01 31 19:48 2:29.40 5:31.06 12:12.87
Jessica Chen 10 EBAL 29 21:09 34 19:53
Jessica Infald 12 EBAL 31 21:12 56 20:43 2:30.01 5:47.68
Nicole McDaniel 11 EBAL 46 22:15 62 20:56 2:43.08 5:55.09 13:12.38
Lisa Grau 12 EBAL 52 23:16 65 21:15
Madison McCarthy 12 EBAL 2:39.90 5:50.49 13:00.32
Katrina Paraskevopoulos 11 EBAL 23FS 15:37 2:51.00 6:06.09 13:09.97
Marrgaret Duffy 11 EBAL 25FS 15:44 2:51.06 5:59.21 13:15.68
Katie Girvan 10 EBAL 2:49.26 5:54.08 12:26.48
Paige Lommerin 10 EBAL
Melinda Huerta 10 EBAL 2:46.12 5:41.22 12:32.87

The Dons are sort of in a San Ramon Valley situation, only with less girls. If Jessica Infald can stay healthy and recapture the form 2007, when she ran 5:09 and then finished third in the EBAL in cross country behind only George and Lillig, it would go a long way. That being said, staying injury free always comes first. This team got some very good contributions during track season from some underclassmen who made major strides and also had some key contributors from last year who did not run track. It will be up to Coach Peter Scarpelli and newly hired assistant Cara Banks to keep this team together and have them ready when it counts. If things go the way I think they will in November, I’ll be swooping in to take all the credit.

Deer Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Stephanie Siemens 10 BVAL 1 20:25 11 18:55 5:38.04 12:31.06
Fiona James 12 BVAL 4 22:14 25 19:28
Jamira Cox 12 BVAL 2 21:12 26 19:29
Chizoba Okodogbe 12 BVAL 5 22:22 54 20:23 2:19.35 Finished 3rd at State in 400m,
Hayley Wiggins 10 BVAL 29 27:03 91 22:37 400m runner Joy Gee 11 BVAL 23 25:31 92 22:41 BVAL 100 and 200m champ
Raven Fox 11 BVAL 2:21.18

This is probably the hardest team to gauge in the division. This is because several of their athletes focus on sprints in the spring. During cross country, there is no one in their league to compete with them, so it becomes a blowout and I am left to wonder if people had bad races or if they were in cruise control. Either way, there is talent here, albeit unconventional. Okodogbe finished third in the state this year over 400m, Wiggins went to MOC and ran 57. Joy Gee is very strong in the short sprints as well. Back to the conventional talent, Stephanie Siemens is a good distance runner on the track, but she is better at cross country. If she can improve off of last year, look for her to punch her individual ticket to the state meet.

Foothill

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Jennifer Goldstein 11 EBAL 4 19:37 5 18:32 73 19:15
Megan Tabler 11 EBAL 24 20:55 21 19:20 12:28.10
Mary Chambers 11 EBAL 45 22:15 58 20:47
Ester Shchemelinin 12 EBAL 51 23:02 72 21:39
Mollie Richardson 11 EBAL 55 23:53 75 21:51 2:48.70
Stephanie Munro 11 EBAL 53 23:20 81 22:15
Alyssa Goard 12 EBAL 98 23:15
Kristin Pederson 11 EBAL 56 24:37
Shannon Easley 10 EBAL 2:34.15 5:42.86 12:49.89
Nicole Torquato 10 EBAL 2:33.35

As an Amador Valley Coach and alum, it is hard for me to say this, but the Lady Blue Chickens bring back some pretty good runners. A lot of their success centers on how Jennifer Goldstein is able to come back from her injury. She had an awesome season last year only to see track go out the window, so best of luck to her in coming back. There was silver lining to the Goldstein injury for Foothill though (I know, that was terrible, bear with me) in that it allowed other young athletes to step up and learn how to carry the load. Megan Tabler is a girl who had a nice track season running in the low 5:30’s at least (even though I can’t find any of her results) and the freshman combo of Shannon Easley and Nicole Torquato had nice finishes to their seasons in the 800m distance. Oh and they bring back all seven of their NCS varsity team.

Granada

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Sarah Herbeck 12 EBAL 35 21:32 27 19:31 5:33.50
Carina Novell 10 EBAL 16 20:40 28 19:40 2:21.48 5:25.80 12:16.52
Laura Herbeck 10 EBAL 2JV 13:47 41 20:02 5:43.74
Lara Jansen 12 EBAL 17 20:41 59 20:48 12:30.64
Julia Burton 12 EBAL 44 22:14 6:16.78
Laura Franklin 10 EBAL 5JV 14:28 2:40.60 6:03.53
Jennifer Cho 12 EBAL 29JV 15:26

This Granada team has enough to be good, but not enough to make any mistakes. Novell looks like the real deal coming off of a very strong spring. Jansen and the Herbeck sisters are a stronger supporting cast than most front runners have, but after that, it drops off pretty sharply. Granada needs to find at least one more girl (Is it you Laura Franklin, or you Julia Burton, or you Jennifer Cho, or is it someone not mentioned?) and then they need to stay healthy and peak at the right time. Sounds simple enough. Just be at Kellman Park at the crack of dawn.

James Logan

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Gabriella Stange 11 MVAL 5 22:32 18 19:16 2:18.87 5:19.53
Ly Ho 11 MVAL 4 22:23 19 19:19 5:25.48 11:34.06
Janae Mayfield 11 MVAL 18 24:40 46 20:14 2:19.25
Theresa Jong 11 MVAL 2:43.18 6:21.35

Depth is not the strength of these Lady Colts. I can’t even find a 5th distance runner in their results (part of the problem is that their league results do not indicate grade, so I did not know who was graduated and who was still around). Even so, this team’s top 3 was too good to not mention. They are a pair of sub 2:20 800 girls and a 5:25 miler who all have very solid cross country backgrounds. Through 3, they beat most of the teams on this list and Theresa Jong is in a position to be a strong #4 this year. Unfortunately, in CA we score 5. Logan is a state championship team in South Dakota, where they only score three, but the school would also be five times larger than the biggest school in South Dakota. So look around ladies, I bet there is a fast distance girl walking the halls at Logan who would be interested in taking a shot at top 5 in NCS.

…And now for the guys.

#1 Castro Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Ben Eversole 11 HAAL 4 15:41 102 16:29 4:20.45 9:32.18
Tom Ashby 12 HAAL 7 16:34 11 15:52 4:34.66 9:51.74
Will Weekes 12 HAAL 5 16:31 16 16:05 2:03.07 4:23.06
Anthony Martore 11 HAAL 10 16:57 24 16:14 1:57.98 4:38.99
Erich Coulter 11 HAAL 8 16:44 32 16:35 4:47.73 10:19.96
CJ Hamilton 11 HAAL 53 17:03 400 in 51.16 Greg Owying 10 HAAL 67 17:20 4:55.76 11:00.60
Juan Berman 11 HAAL 2:10.39 4:47.93
Diamonde Sulayman 11 HAAL 2:01.93 4:59.51

It’s Déjà vu all over again. Castro Valley claims the top spot on both the men’s and women’s side. The Trojans bring back all 7 NCS runners from last year to try to improve over last year’s surprise third place finish. Ben Eversole didn’t stop with cross country last year, putting together an incredible sophomore track season. Cross country titles are not won alone, but Tom Ashby is really good as well. Behind Ashby, Will Weekes and Anthony Martore’s track times suggest serious improvement and a crew of young runners behind them will compete for that fifth scoring spot. This race looks to be much closer than the women’s race and for this team to win, they will need a #5 runner to get close to 16 minutes.

#2 De La Salle

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Paul Johnson 12 EBAL 12 17:05 14 16:05 75 16:23 2:05.99 4:29.48 9:35.30
Tyler Gates 12 EBAL 21 17:25 24 16:20 106 16:41 2:14.06 4:42.00 10:03.00
Derek Burgstaller 12 EBAL 16 17:19 29 16:27 100 16:37 2:13.97 4:42.85 9:57.90
Matt Godkin 12 EBAL 2JV 11:34 2:02.57 4:50.55
Adrian Fuentes 12 EBAL 3JV 11:42 2:04.00 4:49.31 10:26.00
Chris Mosser 12 EBAL 4 JV 12:03
Connor Van Meter 11 EBAL 2FS 11:40 2:15.26 4:50.63
Evan Molineaux 10 EBAL 5FS 11:45 4:39.07
Stephan Spangenberg 11 EBAL 7FS 11:46 4:44.00 10:19.28
Thomas Houser 11 EBAL 8FS 11:51 10:46.40

Even though I am ranking them #2, battles between Trojans and Spartans tend to be pretty epic. This De La Salle team is much like the movie 300, where the Spartans had 300 capable soldiers. De La Salle has about 300 athletes ready to step in and contribute to the varsity squad. While they only finished second in the EBAL finals last season and graduated four of the athletes from that team, they absolutely dominated the frosh-soph (4 runners in the top 10) and junior varsity races (2-3-4-5-9). Several of those athletes were MIA in track, but with 9 quality runners ready to step in and 3 sub 16:30 NCS runners coming back, this team is dangerous. Let the battle begin.

#3 San Ramon Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Cody Reed 12 EBAL 9 16:49 23 16:13
Sean Colaco 12 EBAL 25 17:33 26 16:20 1:59.94 4:19.23 9:52.00
Simon Graves 12 EBAL 10 16:55 40 16:45 2:03.60 4:22.48 10:01.25
Brent Moore 11 EBAL 40 18:17 46 16:54 2:04.49 5:01.96 10:41.44
Andrew DeVries 12 EBAL 37 18:06 56 17:07 2:14.16 4:47.19 11:34.06
Ryan Pearce 12 EBAL 36 18:05 67 17:24 4:51.52 10:08.63
Kevin Griffith 12 EBAL 1:53.85 4:26.58 10:29.66
Ryan Hammill 12 EBAL 1JV 11:29 1:59.55
Parker Deuel 10 EBAL 1FS 11:32 2:02.38 4:34.18 10:06.67

Wait a second. In the movie 300, the Spartans lost. In the movie Troy, the Trojans lost. If anyone can beat the Trojans of Castro Valley and Spartans of De La Salle, it is San Ramon Valley. Up and down, this is the most talented roster in Division I. They return six athletes from last year’s team and bring in three new athletes with star power. What team would not love to add Kevin Griffith, who finished 7th in state over 800 meters, Ryan Hammill, who ran 1:59 in his own right and won the JV title last year as well as the JV title at the Nike Invite, and super-soph Parker Deuel who ran 4:34, 2:02, and 10:06 as a freshman as well as winning the EBAL frosh-soph title in all three events and cross country as a freshman last year. Let’s not forget Sean Colaco who briefly held the state lead in the 1600 early last year and just barely missed qualifying for state in that event and Simon Graves, who runs very tough and came on strong to run 4:22 at the end of last year. Interestingly, Their #1 runner from last year, Cody Reed, was not around during track season. I don’t know why. This team looks like it should be ranked #1, but they have not had nearly as much success over 5000m as they have in the mid-distances. In order to gain that respect, they are going to have to prove it on the cross country course. Until then, they will have to look up to De La Salle and Castro Valley.

#4 Monte Vista

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Josh Smiley 11 EBAL 22 17:25 7 15:48 139 16:50 4:34.77 10:19.91
Amis Matulionis 12 EBAL 6 16:41 27 16:20
Rahul Avasarala 12 EBAL 27 17:42 35 16:37
Kevin Ho 11 EBAL 33 17:54 39 16:45
Jake Erlick 12 EBAL 47 16:56 4:49.98
Zack Chambers 11 EBAL 3FS 11:41 2:01.00
Elliott Killick 12 EBAL 15JV 12:46 1:57.81 4:30.48
Byron Kilian 10 EBAL 4:43.60 10:16.89
Chris Prudhomme 12 EBAL 2:00.95

There is definitely a gap on paper between the first three teams and the fourth. Don’t tell that to the Mustangs though. They seem to find a way to be relevant at the end of the year no matter what it says on paper. This team does bring back five athletes under 17 minutes at the Hayward course, including EBAL all league finisher Amis Matulionis and individual state qualifier Josh Smiley and like SRV, three instant new contributors in Elliott Killick, Chris Prudhomme, and sophomore Byron Killian. The teams ahead of Monte Vista better be ready, because the Mustangs are a team that can cover the gap in front of them and sneak into the state meet.

#5 Amador Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Kellen Cole 12 EBAL 15 17:12 21 16:09 103 16:29 2:01.00 4:26.49 9:55.63
Sam Aceret 11 EBAL 23 17:26 30 16:32 146 16:56 2:09.76 4:37.45 9:57.05
Joe Aceret 11 EBAL 11FS 12:03 2:15.21 4:46.48 10:14.74
Taylor Peissner 11 EBAL 6FS 11:46 168 17:17 2:10.73 4:40.62 10:11.92
Theo Carter 10 EBAL 4FS 11:45 2:04.83 4:48.23 10:55.00
Alec Elgood 11 EBAL 33FS 12:52 2:13.97 4:50.85 11:04.49
Prescott Jackson 11 EBAL 35FS 12:53 2:25.69 4:59.58 10:52.02

Amador Valley is a team with many questions to answer. They have been the top NCS Division I regular season team for the last two seasons, with two consecutive undefeated seasons in the EBAL and two titles, but no NCS titles to show for it. They lose four of their top five last year, with Hornig, Ward, and Marlin graduating and Forrest Hansen opting not to run. Question #1: Where does this team find depth? Answer: In their juniors. The Man Dons have young talent ready to rise to the top. Sam Aceret and Taylor Peissner have state meet experience and along with Sam’s brother Joe and Alec Elgood, and Prescott Jackson this team has enough quality in that class to guarantee is stays competitive for the next couple of years. Question #2: Who leads this team? Answer: Kellen Cole. He has been a varsity runner since his freshman year and has put up some nice times in the shadow of last year’s seniors. It is his turn to carry this team and he seems up to the task. Question #3: Does this team have a chance? Answer: It will take everybody firing on all cylinders to have a chance at the top 3 teams in this division.

Still Seeking Respect (Alphabetical)

Deer Valley

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Nate Baker 12 BVAL 3 17:07 20 16:08 4:33.63
Hunter Pruett 12 BVAL 12 18:19 28 16:30 2:09.77 4:49.20
Nathaniel Wilson 12 BVAL 7 17:44 34 16:36 4:45.58 11:15.70
Paul Matejcek 11 BVAL 6 17:40 41 16:46
Jordie DeVito 11 BVAL 13 18:22 58 17:11
Adam Bolenbaugh ??? BVAL 22 19:02
Josh Potter 10 BVAL 2:13.02 4:59.24
Keith Lowry 10 BVAL 5:06.36 10:43.20

This is the best team in the BVAL and they are afraid of no one. They have enough coming back through four runners to contend for top 5, but I think they need to find one more somewhere. They have the bodies and the experience (5 NCS returners) and this team has a history of surprising. Nate Baker seems to be the leader and Pruett and Wilson seem to be stronger XC runners than track runners. This team is outside of my top 5, but make no mistake, they have state meet aspirations. These guys always do.

Granada

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Alex Summers 12 EBAL 8 16:43 3 15:41 59 16:03 2:02.22 4:26.84 9:28.28
Daniel Pierson 11 EBAL 29 17:44 31 16:35 4:42.95 10:12.88
Brandon Arnold 11 EBAL 20 17:24 49 16:58 2:04.16 4:36.80 10:29.41
Andrew Hill 11 EBAL 46 18:52 97 18:24 2:14.79
Kyle Rosemark 10 EBAL 28FS 12:44
Andrew Cable 10 EBAL 47FS 13:11
Eric Avillar 11 EBAL 22JV 13:04

Alex Summers might just be Ben Eversole’s top competition for the individual title, but he doesn’t have quite the supporting cast that he had behind him last year. The Matadors return Pierson and Arnold, who had excellent sophomore seasons as well as a few sophomores who showed promise in their freshman seasons. To be able to move into the top 5 though, they will need to develop some of those runners into low 16 types.

Livermore

Name Grade League League Place & Time NCS Place & Time State Place & Time 800 1600 3200
Skyler Jones 11 EBAL 18 17:20 19 16:13 2:15.73 4:37.62 10:22.79
Gabriel Pallin 12 EBAL 17 17:20 26 16:23
Tsuyoshi Kohlgruber 10 EBAL 28 17:43 36 16:38 2:12.15 4:45.08 10:24.19
Marc Eteve 11 EBAL 34 18:00 39 16:43 2:20.12 4:54.25 10:25.08
Joel Schmierer 10 EBAL 43 18:38 73 17:43 2:05.58 5:06.02
Nick Aufderheide 12 EBAL 49 18:59 76 17:46
Kevin Cavalieri 12 EBAL 11JV 12:30

My hunch tells me that the Cowboys will be the most improved team in NCS this year. Led by Skyler Jones and up and comer Tsuyoshi Kohlgruber, this is a young team that seems interested in success. History shows that all that coach Eddie Salazar needs to put together very good teams is a few guys interested in success. History also shows that when Salazar has a Jones on his squad, NCS success will follow. There are 8 individual NCS cross country championships among Skyler’s four siblings and from what I know, leadership runs in the family as well. Let’s see if he, Coach Salazar, and the rest of the Cowboys can get together and prove me right.

That’s it for now. I’m sorry about any missed prs in these tables. If yours are wrong, just email Albert constantly until he fixes it. Like every hour on the hour. And not just you, but everybody on your team.

Photo of the Week

2009-07-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

From the 2008 North Coast Section Cross Country Meet of Champions, the above picture is a shot taken by Spencer Allen of the start of the Division V boys' race.

If you have any interesting pictures you have seen online that are of any track or cross country events with NorCal athletes, please forward them my way (albertjcaruana@gmail.com)

Everything is amazing, nobody is happy...

2009-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

I know this is not running related but thought it would be an interesting link. It's mean to be humorous but he does make some very valid points. Enjoy what you have.

What would you like to ask Coach Chris Puppione?

2009-07-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last chance to send in your questions before we decide the topic. Please do so before tonight.
================================================
Some of the most popular posts on this blog have been the training articles that were posted during cross country season by current Miramonte Cross Country and Track and Field coach, Chris Puppione (pictured to the left during his coaching stint with UC Davis). What we did in the past was for me to ask the questions to Chris pertaining to topics that you can see linked below. Some of you are familiar with them already but for those of you that are new to the site, they are definitely worth a look.

We would now like to open up this process to the coaches, athletes, parents and fans out there and ask for your input on topics for Chris to tackle next. YOU come up with the topic and from that topic, you ask the questions. Once we have enough choices, Chris and I will choose the best topic and post the answers on the blog.

Use the comment box below to list your topics and questions.

Peaking (Part I) by Chris Puppione...

Peaking (Part II) by Chris Puppione...

Peaking (Part III) by Chris Puppione...

Nutrition (Part I) by Chris Puppione...

Nutrition (Part II) by Chris Puppione...

Threshold (Part I) by Chris Puppione...

LT Training (Part II) by Chris Puppione...

The Long Run (Part I) by Chris Puppione...

The Long Run (Part II) by Chris Puppione...

2009 CCS XC CBEDs posted below

2009-07-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

Interesting that the Gunn HS girls will be competing in Division I while their boys will be competing in Division II.

What other prominent teams moved up or down from last season?

Just checked with the CCS office and the above numbers are confirmed. In regards to Gunn being in different divisions:

Under the new provisions for placing schools in divisions it is very possible for girls and boys to be in different divisions, especially since we have several all-boys and all-girl schools. This was acknowledged and discussed at the various levels of governance in the section but balancing the number of schools in each division (other than D5) became the number 1 focus.

Catching up with recently graduated San Benito runner Courtney Allen...

2009-07-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today we catch up with former San Benito runner and soon to be UNLV Running Rebel, Courtney Allen. She just recently completed a highly successful senior year in both cross country and track and field. During cross country, Allen finished in 4th place at the CCS Division I race and went on to record a sub 19 minute time on the Woodward Park course at the state meet. During the track and field season, Allen recorded four impressive victories at her league finals as she won the 1600m. (5:16.99), 400m. (58.52), 800m. (2:19.84) and ran a leg on the winning 1600m. relay team (4:07.29). At the CCS final, Allen defeated Allison Sturges of Mt. View in a great stretch duel recording a 4:59.08 for the victory.

1) When did you first start participating in cross country and track and field?
I first started XC my freshman year and I also did track too.

2) When you were first starting out in the sport, what runners did you look up to as role models for yourself (on your own team or other teams)?
When I first started running, I looked up to one of the seniors on our team, Amanda Boyd.

3) During your high school career, did you have a favorite between the two sports?
At first, I liked XC way better, so much better that I did sprinting my freshman year of track. But now, I like track a lot better than XC.

4) What other sports did you participate in during high school or before?
I participated in soccer my freshman and sophomore year, and did it for a few years before. I also competed in gymnastics before that for about five years.

5) When did you first feel like you had a shot of making the state meet in track?
This past season of track, I was the most confident in knowing I could make it to the state track meet.

6) What did a typical week look like for you in terms of training and racing? Miles per week?
For track, my training was mostly speed not just a bunch of miles per week. I would say maybe only up to 20 miles per week. XC, we ran a lot more distance maybe up to 30 to 40 miles a week, with speed and tolerance track workouts.

7) What was your plan going into the CCS final 1600 race and how did the race unfold for you?
My coach and I strategized the race together. He told me he knew I could win it, but it would take patience. I was confident enough to stay with the first pack and that's what I did. Eventually, it came down to the last 110m and my competitor kinda pushed me to the outside of the track. We linked arms but I just kept running. It kinda seemed like she pushed me but it came down to who had the most left and the bigger heart and I won.

8) Tell us a little about your coach and what he has meant to your development as a runner.
My coach, Jess Morales, is a really exceptional coach. I would not be where I am today without his help and determination. He really did a lot for me as a runner and as a person overall.

9) How much did running contribute in your decision in choosing UNLV?
My parents told me I could go to college wherever I wanted to, no matter how much it was, they would support my decision. I chose UNLV because, I really get along with the coach and they have good academic services and a beautiful campus.

10) Favorite cross country course? Woodward Park
Favorite cross country meet? Clovis Invitational
Favorite track distance? 1600m or the 400m
Favorite track meet? West Valley Relays
Favorite competitor? one who is faster than me.

11) What advice would you give a young runner who aspires to run at the state meet?
To push themselves and never give up cause it will get you no where, not just in running but in life also.

Thank you!
Live Well.
- Courtney Allen

Thank you very much for your time Courtney. AJC!

2009 NCS Division V Pre-Season Rankings

2009-07-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

I can speak from experience about the strength of Division V in the North Coast Section (NCS). There is no question that the best two sections in the state when it comes to the smallest division are the Southern Section (duh!) and NCS. The SS gets the usual (for them) 7 boys' qualifying teams to the state meet but the NCS is not that far behind with their 5 entries. Last year at the state meet, 22 complete teams scored at the state meet. NCS finished with 4 teams in the top 10 (SF University in 3rd, Redwood Christian in 5th, College Prep in 8th and Head Royce in 10th). Berean Christian, the 5th NCS team, didn't finish in the top 10 but still came in at a not too shabby 12th place.

The clear favorite to win this year's boy's team title will be Redwood Christian. After an impressive 5th place finish at last year's state meet (in their first season in NCS), RC returns all but one runner from last year's top 7. Their top runner, Josh MacDonald, returns as the 2nd fastest returner in this division at both the section and state levels. More on him later. They also return Alex Mattson and Wayne Smith who both broke 17 minutes on the state meet course. With a solid 4th and 5th runners, RC could contend for a state meet plaque this year.

Picking Redwood Christian to win was easy. Now comes the hard part of trying to select the order of the teams that will finish behind them. The two teams that finished 1st and 2nd last year at the NCS MOC, SF University and Berean Christian, were both devastated by graduation, losing the majority of their teams. Given that University has won 10 NCS titles in the last 12 years, there is a pretty good chance that they will be competitive again, sooner rather than later.

The next teams in line will be two more BCL East competitors, College Preparatory and Head Royce. CPS will be led once again by longtime successful coach, Jack Coakley. Despite losing key members from their top 5 (including #1 runner Charlie Sauter), CPS should be competitive again as they always seem to reload following key losses. Head Royce returns the nice one/two punch of seniors Mercer Cook and Walker Holden but will need to find a couple of runners to fill out a solid five.

The team that could make waves this year in this division will be Stuart Hall as they return their entire top 7 from last year. This should be the first time they qualify to the state meet as a team from this division. How competitive they will be in this division will be determined by October as they will have faced many of their rivals at the Stanford Invititational and the BCL Challenge.

The individual favorite as just as clear as the team favorite, as mentioned above, and that will be Josh MacDonald (4:24.65 and 9:37.55) of Redwood Christian. He will have the rare opportunity to win an individual section title in two different sections. MacDonald won the Central Coast Section (CCS) title as a sophomore during RC's final season in that section. The runners that will have the best opportunity to finish in the top 5 will be Mercer Cook of Head Royce (fastest returner), Ned Tannenbaum of SF University, Alex Mattson of RC, Jordan Lee of Chinese Christian, Wayne Smith of Redwood Christian, Walker Holden of Head Royce and Jacob Roth of Berean Christian.

Unlike the boys, the girls' team race will be quite competitive. As is usually the case with girls' teams, many schools return the majority of their rosters mostly intact. You would think that the favorite at this point has to be the defending champions, Marin Academy, which also has the defending individual champion, Lucy McCullough. They won their first section title in cross country last year as well as their first state meet plaque with their 3rd place finish. Including McCullough, MA returns 6 out of their top 7 from last year.

Considering all that, my favorite for this coming season will be University HS. University is no stranger to success here as they won 10 straight section titles from 1995 to 2004 and have participated in every Division V race at the state meet since it's inception in 1996. They finished in 3rd place at the NCS meet last year and a more impressive 4th place finish at the state meet.
They return their top five which includes sophomore Holland Reynolds who finished in 8th place at last year's state meet. UHS also had an outstanding track season as the majority of their cross country runners shined at the end of the season such as the following results from the NCS Class A Meet. They are also adding an impressive freshman in Jennie Callan who won the BAIAL cross country final last year by a considerable margin on the modified Crystal Springs course.

College Prep returns one of the best runners in the section, sophomore Kai Wilson, along with the rest of the top 4 runners from last season (Emily Erickson, Adrienne Strait and Sarah Eppley). Wilson finished in 2nd place last year on the Hayward course just edging out University's Reynolds at the finish line. Along with their 2nd place NCS finish last year, CPS won the Track and Field Class A Meet to end this past school year and were the 2007 NCS Cross Country champions.

The battle for the final state meet berth will pit East vs. West as BCL East school (Head Royce) takes on BCL West school (Lick Wilmerding). A nice influx of freshmen aided both teams last year with LW claiming the 4th and final state spot. Head Royce missed making the state meet with their 6th place finish but their front runner, Savannah Ryder, qualified as an individual. Perhaps her experience in Fresno can inspire the rest of the Jayhawks to join her again this coming season.

Individually, there is one clear favorite and that is McCullough of MA. As impressive as her cross country season was last year, McCullough took it to a new level on the track. She qualified for the CA state meet running 4:54.82 at the NCS MOC in the 1600m and had a pr of 2:18.90 in the 800m. She will not only be the favorite to win NCS this year but I believe she will now have a realistic shot to win the state title as a certain Jordan Hasay will be wearing Oregon green (or is it black now?) next year.

Besides Wilson of CPS (26.30, 58.05, and 2:25.18) and Reynolds of UHS (5:25.04 and 11:53.18), the other contenders for top 5 finishes will be Jessica Ho of Chinese Christian, Emily Lewis of MA, Emily Erickson of CPS and a now healthy Margaret Wehner of UHS. The next group includes a trio of freshman who all finished in the top 15 at the NCS MOC and those runners are Savannah Ryder of Head Royce and Lick Wilmerding teammates, Sara Peletz and Rachel Prensky-Pomeranz. The unknown in the individual race will be the freshman (like Jennie Callan) who always make an impact but those will be determined later.

Besides Wilson of CPS and Reynolds of UHS, the other contenders for top 5 finishes will be Jessica Ho of Chinese Christian, Emily Lewis of MA, Emily Erickson of CPS and a now healthy Margaret Wehner of UHS. The next group includes a trio of freshman who all finished in the top 15 at the NCS MOC and those runners are Savannah Ryder of Head Royce and Lick Wilmerding teammates, Sara Peletz and Rachel Prensky-Pomeranz. The unknown in the individual race will be the freshmen (like Jennie Callan) who always make an impact but those will be determined later.

2008 NCS Meet of Champions (XC) Division V Results Girls
2008 NCS Meet of Champions (XC) Division V Results Boys

Division V Boys (Top 5 Advance to state)
1) Redwood Christian-Can they contend for a state meet plaque?
2) University-Have a strong number one runner in Tannenbaum.
3) Head Royce-Strong one/two punch up front.
4) College Prep-A consistent contender in this division.
5) Stuart Hall-Poised to make 1st state meet in school history.
On the bubble: Marin Academy, Lick Wilmerding, Chinese Christian, St. Joseph Notre Dame, Urban

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2008 NCS meet time:
Josh MacDonald (2) Redwood Christian 15:52
Mercer Cook (10) Head Royce 16:26
Ned Tannenbaum (11) University HS 16:29
Alex Mattson (12) Redwood Christian 16:33
Jordan Lee (13) Chinese Christian 16:34

Division V Girls (Top 4 Advance to state)
1) University-In position to reclaim the NCS crown.
2) Marin Academy-Defending NCS champions.
3) College Prep-Can they put five together to challenge top two teams?
4) Lick Wilmerding-Good group returns from last year.
5) Head Royce-Return top 6 with possible help coming from their MS.
On the bubble: Urban, Santa Rosa Christian

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2006 NCS meet time:
Lucy McCullough (1) Marin Academy 18:35
Kai Wilson (2) College Prep 19:05
Holland Reynolds (3) University 19:05
Jessica Ho (4) Chinese Christian 19:30
Emily Lewis (5) Marin Academy 19:45

Please feel free to chime in on the rankings above. I won't be offended if you strongly disagree as the above rankings are meant to be a launching pad for conversation. Fortunately section titles and state meet berths are decided by the runners themselves. Did I miss any teams or individuals? Any other impact freshmen that we should know about?

NCS Division I Pre-Season Rankings by Jason Oswalt

2009-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

For this year's North Coast Section (that's #2 on the left) pre-season rankings, I was originally planning on posting the Division V rankings first and work my way up to Division I. I am actually almost done with those rankings but as is the case sometimes, change of plans.

With the help of several coaches who have been kind enough to offer their input in all the divisions, I have been able to piece together the rankings for several divisions. One of the coaches who was able to offer his insight is Amador Valley HS assistant coach, Jason Oswalt. What started out as a simple question, turned into a pretty cool breakdown of Division I (girls and boys).

Unfortunately I was not able to post Jason's work on this blog (such are the limitations on blogs sometimes) but never fear cross country fans. You can download Jason's breakdown at the following link. It's a word document and you can locate it at the top of the page link.

http://www.eteamz.com/csuxc/handouts/

If you have any input into this division or you want to be complimantery toward Jason's work, please feel free to chime in below in the comment section...even anonymously.

Top CCS Girls' Individuals to watch in 2009 by Josh Small

2009-07-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

GIRLS

1 Jessie Petersen 11 Carlmont (D1)
Peterson has won the CCS Championship for 3200 meters as a freshman and a sophomore, winning this years title in a personal best 10:51. Now a Junior, expect her to come into her own and be one of the top runners in the CCS. Having run 17:54 at Crystal Springs and 18:01 at State last year (not to mention her second place finish behind Fedronic in the D1 race) it is hard to argue against her being one of the best runners to return this season.

2 Rachel Hinds 11 St. Ignatius (D3)
There is a strong argument that she is the #1 cross country runner in the CCS. She does Lacrosse in the spring but that hasn’t slowed her down as she has seen steady improvement. The only question is: how will she respond without Daly there pushing her?

3 Marissa Ferrante 12 Aptos (D3)
Having run 18:06 at the Crystal Springs Inv. in 2008 Ferronte will once again battle for the top spot. Having run 4:52 for 1600 meters as a sophomore she battled through injury to start the 2009 track season but despite the late start ran a spectacular 10:56 in the 3200 meters. Her best races have come from a sit and kick strategy which will be tough to do on the hilly Crystal Springs course.

4 Samantha Hamilton 12 Half Moon Bay (D4)
The D4 champion in 2008 she is perhaps one of the strongest runners in the CCS this year. Before getting injured in the 2009 track season she ran an impressive early season time of 5:10 for 1600 meters. She should be ranked higher but just doesn’t have people to push her in D4 to run the fastest time in CCS. She enters the season with a time of 18:32 for Crystal Springs in 2008.

5 Allison Sturges 10 Mountain View (D2)
Not sure what happened at the end of XC last year but she was stellar on the track in 2009 as she finished 2nd in the CCS for the 1600meters. She progressed steadily throughout the season and it should carry over to the hills as she enters the season with a personal best of 18:46 for the Crystal Springs course. She very well could be the number one runner in CCS this year.

6 Lisa Fawcett 12 Gunn (D2)
Top returning runner in the highly competitive D2 finishing 4th in 2008. She ran 11:28 on the track this spring and is posed to lead a very powerful Gunn team.

7 Zoe Pappas 12 Mountain View (D2)
She finished as the #3 runner for Mountain View at the CCS Championship which was an astonishing 5th place over-all! She is the top returning cross country runner from last year’s very powerful team. Expect her to do great things with a training partner like Sturges.

8 Cindy Huang 11 Lynbrook (D2)
Making a huge jump in the 800 meter final at the CCS Championship Huang snagged 3rd place and was off to her first State meet. What is even more impressive is her range as she was not scared to mix it up with the longer distances. In fact, she ran the 3200 meter semi-final the week before she made State. She enters the season with a personal best of 18:46 for Crystal Springs.

9 Claudia Barnett 12 Leland (D2)
Her sister dominated cross country for four years and now she has a chance to get out of her sisters shadow and shine. If Leland can convert their track success to cross country she should have some quality training partners and be up at the top of the leader board once again.

10 Samantha Garcia 10 Evergreen Valley (D1)
This girl had a spectacular freshman year and steadily improved all year. Running 19:31 over Crystal Springs she really shined on the track this season consistently ran in the 11:30 range for 3200 meters and had a huge breakthrough at the BVAL final where she beat Barnett in a personal best time of 11:14. Expect great things from her this fall.

OTHER TOP CONTENDERS:

Katie Castro 11 Los Gatos (D2)
2008 Best: Crystal Springs- 18:57; Torro - 19:34; State - 19:35

Melissa Hopper 12 Leigh (D2)
2008 Best: Crystal - 19:08; Torro - 19:30; State - 19:43

Victoria Tsolis 11 Presentation (D2)
2008 Best: Crystal - 19:06; Torro - 19:51; Track - 5:13 (1600), 2:14 (800)

Kim McMullen 12 Aptos (D3)
2008 Best: Crystal - 19:14; Torro - 19:52; State - 19:26

Erin Hicks 12 Los Altos (D2)
2008 Best: Crystal – 19:18; Torro – 19:40; Track – 11:19 (3200)

Abby Barker 12 Carlmont (D1)
2008 Best: Crystal - 19:14; Torro - 19:51; State - 19:33

Kendra Higgins 12 Valley Christian (D3)
Previous Bests: Crystal - 18:57; Torro - 18:43. Great runner who placed 3rd in CCS (D3) as a freshman but how will she respond after a year off?

PEOPLE TO WATCH:

Angie Korpusik, Presentation
Abbey Blake, Westmont
Linnea Biddick, Aptos
Michelle Hopper, Leigh
Emily Sitler, St.Francis
Emily Blaha, Valley Christian
Athena Alarcorn, Gilroy
Ellie Sanders, Santa Cruz
Kat Grgeory, Woodside Priory
Kieran Gallagher, Gunn

WILL THESE TOP TRACK ATHLETES RUN XC IN 2009?

Erin Robinson, Gunn
Melissa Hastings, Hillsdale (5:04, 11:09)
Morgan Healy, Saint Francis
Jordan Diaz, Leigh
Nisha Parmeshwar, Leland

Top CCS Boys' Individuals to watch in 2009 by Josh Small

2009-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

BOYS

1 Garrett Rowe 12 Mountain View (D2)
This young man is perhaps one of the best runners to come through the CCS in a long time. A combination of talent, supportive parents, excellent coaching and motivated teammates seems to be the keys to success. He returns with the fastest time at Crystal in 2008 (14:56) and an amazing 15:03 for the Woodward Park course. Running 8:55 for 3200 meters on the track at the State Meet he has demonstrated time and again he knows how to peek and run well when it counts.

2 Ian Myjer 12 Mountain View (D2)
If Rowe is to be considered one of the best runners in the CCS this decade than you have to consider Myjer as well. Running just one second behind Rowe (14:57) over the Crystal Springs Course they a the most potent 1-2 punch this season. With this talent at the top, it might just be a knockout for Mountain View.

3 Mitch Moriarity 12 Aptos (D3)
There are a few boys in the mix that can pull the upset and Aptos’ Moriarity is one of those guys. He had a breakthrough season this spring running 9:05 for 3200 meters. The biggest challenge to climbing the rankings is that when it comes down to CCS Myjer and Rowe will push each other for the win in D2, while Moriarity will be running solo at the front in D3 which just might be the few costly seconds that keeps him from the #1over-all spot. It would be nice to see these guys match up at some invites this year!

4 Philip MacQuitty 12 Palo Alto (D2)
Another highly talented runner in D2 is MacQuitty from Palo Alto. He proved he can run fast when it counts finishing the Woodward Park course in 15:14 last year. This spring is where he really took off running 4:15 for 1600 meters and 9:07 for the 3200. If this young man has an amazing day he very well could pull the upset and win the CCS title for D2.

5 Paul Summers 12 Gunn (D2)
Running 9:13 for 3200 meters on the track he improved dramatically throughout the year. Running 15:40 at Crystal something seemed to click this spring. Gunn is a quality program with great coaching, count on him carrying that momentum into this cross country season.

6 Will Geiken 11 Los Gatos (D2)
It is crazy to think that D2 will line up 5 runners who have run 9:20 for 3200 meters last spring. One of those is Geiken who last year ran 15:56 over Crystal. Los Gatos has a tradition of developing talent, and expect this runner to be right up there with the best in Wildcat history. Expect him to be right there with the front pack charging the hill at the mile mark. Like most runners it will be the last 2 rolling miles that will test you. Geiken could very well be there all the way.

7 Parker Schuh 11 Mountain View (D2)
It will be interesting to see how Schuh responds to not running track this spring. He very well could be rested and ready to tear it up, but the guys ranked ahead of him had amazing breakthroughs this spring. If he is anything close to how he ran last year (running 15:31 at Crystal Springs and finishing 4th in the CCS Championship - D2) it very well could be a 1-2-3 finish for Mountain View.

8 Ethan Scardina 11 Carlmont (D1)
Winning the CCS Championship (D1) as a sophomore he is back to defend his title. He missed track due to an injury but will hopefully bounce back strong.

9 Weston Strum 12 Pioneer (D3)
A fantastic track runner Weston ran 4:17 for 1600 meters this spring. He broke 16 at Crystal in 2008 and finished 5th in CCS (D3). He and his brother will be at the top of D3 this year but will need some help from their teammates in the team competition. He could very well could move up the rankings while they are certainly middle distance specialist the only question is how will they do over 3 miles?

10 Luca Signore 12 Lynbrook (D2)
In the mix of the highly competitive D2 division is Signore from Lynbrook. Ran very consistently throughout the track season he ended up running 9:41 for 3200 meters. Running 15:48 for Crystal Springs he should be once again a top runner this year.

OTHER TOP CONTENDERS:

Kranti Peddada 12 Monta Vista (D1)
2008 Best: Finished 4th in D1 (16:25 at Torro); 9:45 for 3200 meters on the track. If teammate Bishop runs could elevate team and Peddada to the next level.

Nathan Strum 12 Pioneer (D3)
2008 Best: Ran 15:49 at Crystal Springs; On the track ran 4:21 for 1600 meters and 1:54 for the 800. No marks for the longer 3200. Will the short speed translate over a hilly 5k?

Kyle Rae 11 Bellarmine (D1)
2008 Best: Crystal – 16:17; Track -4:23 for 1600 meters. A great program that turns out top runners year after year. Count on Rae having a big jump in 2009.

David Perez 12 Salinas (D1)
2008 Best: Torro - 16:11; State - 16:27; Track - 4:23 for 1600 meters. Ran great over his home course in the early season but struggled in the heat at CCS. Had a great track season, could be in the mix for the D1 title.

Aaron Hsia-Coron 11 Anzar (D5)
Won CCS Championship (D5) as a sophomore and will defend his title.

PEOPLE TO WATCH:

Dalton Guthrie, Bellarmine
Nathan Lee, Carlmont
Benjamin Heck, Carlmont
Grant Foster, Prospect
Donald Plazola, Willow Glen

Running Photo of the Week...

2009-07-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

From the 2009 CCS Track and Field Final in the girls' 1600m. courtesy of the Hollister Freelance. Courtney Allen of Hollister battling Allison Sturges of Mountain View down the stretch.

2009 ALL-EMPIRE TRACK AND FIELD TEAMS

2009-07-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Check out the following lists compiled by Jim Crowhurst in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. As always, Jim does an amazing job covering track and field and cross country in that area.

All-Empire picks
Area includes North Bay League, Sonoma County league & Coastal Mountain Conferense. Not the same as NCS Redwood Empire.

BOYS 2009 ALL-EMPIRE TRACK & FIELD

GIRLS 2009 ALL-EMPIRE TRACK & FIELD

Pre-Season CCS Division I rankings by Kevin Liao...

2009-07-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

BOYS

Carlmont shocked all the pundits and form charts with its victory over pre-race favorites Bellarmine and Salinas at the 2008 CCS meet. The Scots, led by a number of sophomores and juniors a year ago, head into the 2009 cross country season as the favorite to claim their fifth consecutive Division I team title. Surprise individual champion Ethan Scardina missed track season with a stress fracture but will return with vengeance along with standout seniors Nathan Lee (1:57 800, 4:25 1600 this past track season) and Benjamin Heck. The dismissal of Jeff Gilkey opens up the coaching position at Carlmont, leaving many questions about the future of the program.

Bellarmine loses three of their top five runners, but will likely remain contenders with the presence of junior Kyle Rae (4:23 1600, 7^th at CCS finals) and senior Dalton Guthrie. Coach Patrick McCrystle's ability to field large-sized teams gives the Bells a tremendous talent pool to scout for new talent.

Salinas, with four returning runners under 17 minutes at Toro Park, Serra, and San Benito should also be in the mix for one of the two spots to go to state.

Top 5 Teams (Top 2 advance to state)

Carlmont – Will new coach be able to take advantage of four returning scorers?
Bellarmine – How will the Bells recover from loss of top runners?
Salinas – Returns a number of juniors in the 16s at Toro
Serra – Top three runners are back, but need underclassmen to step up spots 4-7
San Benito – Lose top two, but Balers have traditionally strong teams

Watch out for: Monta Vista, Gilroy, Evergreen Valley

David Perez of Salinas will be the main challenger to defending champ Scardina for the individual crown. Perez was 11^th at CCS last season, ran an exceptional early season 15:46 at Woodward Park, and was a 1:57 half miler during track. His known speed at the end of a race will make him a factor over the ladder stages of a race. The other returning individual state meet qualifier is Monta Vista's Kranti Peddada. As a junior, Peddada ran 16:01 at Crystal Springs and 9:45 over 3200 meters during the track season.

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2008 CCS meet time:

Ethan Scardina (1) Carlmont 16:08
Kranti Peddada (4) Monta Vista 16:25
Nathan Lee (7) Carlmont 16:34
Benjamin Heck (8) Carlmont 16:36
Dalton Guthrie (9) Bellarmine 16:45

GIRLS

Just losing Stanford-bound Justine Fedronic, the Carlmont girls team is a solid favorite for to take its fifth straight CCS Division I championship. Jessie Petersen was 2^nd at CCS and should be a contender at the state meet with her 9^th place finish there last year. Petersen capped off a great sophomore year with a 10:51 3200 meters to win her second CCS track title. Seniors Abby Barker (11:22 for 3200m) and Georgia Cottong (19:33 at Crystal Springs) should also be important contributors to Carlmont's success.

Gilroy also returns four of their five scorers from its second place team in 2008, when the Mustangs only trailed Carlmont by only six points at the CCS meet. Like Carlmont, Gilroy loses their number one runner, Kathleen Miller, but return seniors Brandie Rodriguez and Patricia Hernandez and sophomores Savannah Silacci and Athena Alarcon.

Two other major contenders for the top two spots advancing to the state meet are Evergreen Valley and San Benito. Sophomore Samantha Garcia leads the Cougars, who finished fourth in Division I a year ago and return their top four runners. Garcia emerged as one of the best in the CCS with a 11:14 3200 meters for an upset win at the BVAL track finals. San Benito loses CCS 1600m champ Courtney Allen, but will be led in 2009 by Rachel Shimabukuro, a 11:33 runner on the track over 3200 meters.

Top 5 Teams (Top 2 advance to state)

Carlmont – Does a coaching change impact the Scots' dominance?
Gilroy – Can the Mustangs upset Carlmont without a definite #1 runner?
Evergreen Valley – Need improve from #3-5 runners to move up
San Benito – Will contend for state spot if back-end runners improve
Salinas – Returns four of five scorers, but needs big improvement

Watch out for: Monta Vista, Piedmont Hills, Homestead

Petersen is the consensus favorite for the individual championship, but a number of runners will be contending for the five individual spots to state. Dari Salvador of Alisal is the top returning individual state qualifier. Another runner to watch out for is Salinas's Kelsey Palassou. The senior ran a very impressive 19:50 at Toro Park last year, but struggled in the heat at CCS finals and did not advance to the state meet.

Top 5 returning individuals, (place) & 2008 CCS meet time:

Jessie Petersen (2) Carlmont 18:43
Dari Salvador (5) Alisal 19:37
Abby Barker (7) Carlmont 19:51
Rachel Shimabukuro (8) San Benito 19:59
Samantha Garcia (9) Evergreen Valley 20:00

One side note in this division is that Gunn HS might be moving into Division I due to CCS Divisional realignment. That is not confirmed yet but if this indeed takes place, an update of the above rankings will be posted.

Please feel free to comment on the above rankings. A big thank you to Kevin's work on the pre-season rankings.

Updating end of the year awards in local papers...

2009-07-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

From the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL)
Boys First Team All-County Track
All-County Boys Track and Field Coach of the Year
San Mateo's Spencer is Boys Track and Field Player of Year
All-County Girls First Team Track and Field
Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year: Matt Vaughn of Burlingame
San Mateo County Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year: Lauren Irish of Half Moon Bay

From the East Bay
East Bay Girls Track and Field Athlete of Year: Ciarra Brewer of James Logan
East Bay Girls Track Coach of the Year: Lee Webb of James Logan
East Bay Boys Track and Field Athlete of Year: Hammed Suleman of Deer Valley
Boys Track Coach of the Year: Kevin Selby, De La Salle

From the Gilroy Dispatch
The Dispatch's Female Athletes of the Year

If your local paper did the same thing as the posts above, let me know at albertjcaruana@gmail.com and I will be happy to post the links.

My “officially unofficial” ranking for BOYS/GIRLS 2009 CCS XC by Josh Small

2009-06-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

The following are the top 15 boys and girls team ranked by Valley Christian SJ coach Josh Small. He posted this on the dyestatcal.com message board and with his permission, I am posting this on here as well to get the feedback from coaches, athletes and parents out there. If you have any input or information that may effect the following rankings, please chime in below in the comment section.

My “officially unofficial” ranking for BOYS 2009 CCS XC
(My opinion poll for individual rankings next week...)

1 Mountain View (D2)
Top 3 boys return, including Rowe who is coming off of an 8:55 for 3200 at state. With the best 1-2 combo in the CCS and a strong Frosh-Soph group last year I don’t see any team that is close to the level of Mountain View. There is no question here: this team should dominate once again.

2 Carlmont (D1)
This team is loaded and returns 8 of their top 10 runners from last year, 6 of them now Juniors. This team very well could have 5 runners all in the 15’s for Crystal this fall.

3 Palo Alto (D2)
MacQuitty leads the return of 5 seniors. They will need runners 4 & 5 to step up, which I would safely bet on.

4 Gunn (D2)
Returns their top 6 runners, 5 of whom are seniors. Summers leads the team but will need help from the core runners if they expect to move up the rankings.

5 Los Gatos (D2)
8 of their top 9 runners return. There is no standout but all the runners are close and just might take a big jump together. If they do they could be ranked as high as 3rd.

6 Aptos (D3)
4 of their top 7 return but they lose some heavy hitters. I wouldn’t worry too much, Aptos seems to be one of those teams that always have someone developing, just waiting to move up.

7 Salinas (D1)
They didn’t run Crystal last fall but ran very well over their home course at Torro. They return 5 of their top 7, but the question is how will they fare against the northern schools away from their home course?

8 Bellarmine (D1)
Rae is the top returning runner on a team that brings back only 3 of their top 7. This is another one of those teams that seems to have underclassman step up every year, and this year will not be any different. Expect 7 runners all in the 16’s or faster at Crystal.

9 St. Ignatius (D3)
Only 3 return this year as Birsinger and Innes have graduated. I won’t go as far as to say this is a rebuilding year but they will not be as strong as in the past.

10 Pioneer (D3)
Led by the Strum brothers this team has potential! Returning all 7 runners they will need for runners 3-5 to step up big. This is my "dark horse" pick of 2009.

11 St. Francis (D2)
4 of their top 7 return, all in the 16’s last year at Crystal.

12 Serra (D1)
Their top 3 all return, all of whom were in the 16’s at Crystal…but the big question is: who will fill the big gap left by six graduating Seniors?

13 Lynbrook (D2)
Returns 4 of their top 7, including Singnore who broke 16 at Crystal last year. Will need the underclassman to step up to be a factor this year.

14 Woodside (D2)
3 of their top 5 return but the team lacks depth from the 4-7 runners.

15 Menlo-Atherton (D2)
Returns their top 7 runners but lacks a star. They are grouped very close together but to see success will need everyone to improve 30-45 seconds over last year’s Crystal times.

Teams to Watch:

Monta Vista (D1) – Returns all 7 runners, all in the 17’s at Crystal last year. If they work hard over the summer they could surprise some people this year.

Evergreen Valley (D1) – Graduation hurt this team as 3 of their top 5 graduated. One of the biggest schools on the east side should replenish and be a factor though.

Cupertino (D2) – Returns their top 5 runners.

My “officially unofficial” rankings for GIRLS 2009 CCS XC:
(I'll post my thoughts on the boys tomorrow)

1 Mountain View (D2)
Sturges Returns and will likely be one of top runners in CCS; 3 quality runners graduate but this school is a machine and turns out top runners to step up and fill the missing links. Expect Mountain View to dominate once again.

2 Aptos (D3)
Their top 6 all return, including Ferrante who was hit and miss her sophomore year. When she is on, she is one of the top runners in CCS. This team very well could have 5 runners all in the 18’s at Crystal but all 5 will have to have their best race to take down Mountain View.

3 Carlmont (D1)
Loses #1; Returns 6 of the top 7. Peterson will be solid and Top 5 returnees have all run sub 20 at Crystal.

4 Gunn (D2)
Mayer is a big loss to graduation but many younger runners are there to make up the difference. 7 out of top 10 return. Could be ranked as high as #2 if track success coverts to the trails this fall.

5 Saint Ignatius (D3)
With Hinds, perhaps the top returning runner in CCS, this team will be tough but is missing the 1-2 punch they had last year with Daly.

6 Presentation (D2)
5 of top 7 return including top 2; Needs a number 5 runner to step up.

7 Los Gatos (D2)
Loses #1, but has a strong group of runners returning. They will be a top contender, as always!

8 St. Francis (D2)
Returns 4 of their top 6 runners and if freshman 800 runner Healy does cross country they will have a solid top 5 and be a top competitor.

9 Lynbrook (D2)
Top 5 return led by 800 State qualifier Huang. If the 3-5 runners step up they could be a top contender.

10 Leland (D2)
If their freshman 800 runner Parmeshwar runs XC she could be the 1-2 punch for Leland that returns many quality runners already.

11 Mitty (D2)
6 of the top 7 return. No standout #1 but the core of runners in their top 5 could all be sub 20 at Crystal this year.

12 Gilroy (D1)
Loses #1; Returns 4 runners in the low 20’s but needs a #5. Should be strong this year.

13 Valley Christian (D3)
Loses Bergman, which is a big hit and why they dropped so much from last year’s rankings. Top 6 of 7 return, plus Higgins who took a year off due to injury. Needs the core of runners to step up big.

14 Palo Alto (D2)
Big loses to graduation but a good group of runners return!

15 Carmel (D4)
Returns 6 of the top 7. No star but a good group in the 20’s for Crystal

Teams to Watch:

Evergreen Valley (D1) - This team should be in the top 15...but where? Samantha Garcia had a great track season and could very well be a top runner this fall. That said this is a very solid team. With a number 5 runner they could be ranked as high as 5th.

Castilleja (D5)– Returns top 7 runners. Needs a number 5…

Woodside Priory (D5) – 3 runners in the 19’s last year at Crystal. With a decent 4 & 5 runner could be a top team!

Comments: It was tough to rank 6-10...these teams could mix it up in any order and are all very close. The difference is the top 5 teams all have a solid 7 runners which allows someone to have a bad day.

CA State Meet All Time Boys' Podium Teams through '08

2009-06-29T09:02:00.001-07:00

Double click image to the left to view the larger version.

If you spot any errors, please email me at albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

Some interesting data from the list:
Most overall plaques: McFarland with 13

Most state championships: Jesuit, McFarland with 9

Most 2nd place finishes: Flintridge Prep with 6

Most 3rd place finishes: San Francisco University with 5

The team that had the longest span of time between it's 1st and last plaque: Jesuit with 18 years (1988-2006)

The team that has won the most combined plaques (boys and girls): Nordhoff with 19 plaques. A close second and still collecting plaques is San Francisco University with 17 plaques.

CA State Meet All Time Girls' Podium Teams through '08

2009-06-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

The list below contains every girls' team that has finished in the top 3 at the California State Meet. During the first few years, the podium teams included only 2 teams but for the sake of uniformity, I included the top 3 teams for every year starting with the first ever California state meet in 1987.

Double click picture below to view the list without having to use a magnifying glass. If you find any errors, please send them to albertjcaruana@gmail.com and I will update the list.

Some interesting data from list to the left:
Most overall plaques: Chadwick and San Francisco University with 10

Most first place plaques: Corona del Mar and San Francisco University with 6

Most second place plaques: San Francisco University, Woodbridge and Woodcrest Christian with 4

Most third place plaques: Campolindo, Chadwick and Dana Hills with 4

Two teams had the longest span of time between their 1st and last plaque:
Corona del Mar with 19 years (1989-2008)

I will post the boys' podium teams tomorrow.

Look for other interesting state meet stats during the summer.

"Know It All" Clinic

2009-06-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

We are putting on a fund raising (and fun raising) clinic to help benefit John Larralde, the long time coach at Carpinteria High School. John was in a coma for a week and hospitalized for 4 weeks due to complications from the MRSA staph infection. As a result, he has some rather significant hospital bills. John has done so much for so many and we are trying to help him with those bills. Some of you may know him as a former assistant at Cal, or the head coach at Santa Barbara City College. Still others may know him in his present position, as an assistant at Westmont College. For many years, he was one of the guiding lights for the fantastic Carpinteria High program, coaching such outstanding athletes as Coley Candaele.

Brian FitzGerald of Rio Mesa, Kevin Smith of Oak Park, Tim O'Rourke of Mt Sac and LA 84 fame, Ken Reeves, and Van Latham of Carpinteria have banded together to form the "fly by the seat of the pants productions" to create the return of the Know IT All Clinic. Originally active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was a very informal clinic where high school staffs met in event areas. This was not your powerpoint/lecture clinic, it was high school coaches helping each other coaching high school athletes from the fastest to the speed challenged. The curriculum is coach driven and each session will be unique The clinic always concluded with a very enjoyable coaches' social.

This year, the clinic is scheduled for August 1 in the lovely seaside town of Carpinteria. Bring the family, bring the staff and enjoy a weekend of interaction, sand, surf and enjoyment. The cost per staff is $100. Individuals can attend for $35. All proceeds will go directly to John's hospital bills and no speaker fees will be paid. However, in these tight times, if you would like to attend and don't have the money, come down for the interaction and forget the clinic fee. On the other hand, if you are unable to attend and would like to make a donation to help with John's bill, please don't hesitate to send me a check (make them out to Carpinteria Boosters, John Larralde fund).

Vern Gambetti, the founding father of functional training and former Cal Bears head coach will be there to work with Brian FitzGerald and Kevin Smith on the sprint staff. Fred Morgan, the highly successful throws coach from Ventura High (coached CIF D1 Champion in the boys' and girls' shot and Masters' Champions in the boys' shot and girls' discus), Terry Hearst and Erik Pedersen of Royal Results (timers for Division 4 CIF prelims, CIF Finals, CIF SS Masters Meet, USC-UCLA Dual Meet, Arcadia Invitational, Ventura County championships along with several other meets) will do a session on Hy-Tek including meet manager and team manager. Other specific staff members will be listed as information comes available. See attached flyer for more information.

Please contact Ken Reeves at kenreeves@sbcglobal.net if you would like more information or if you would like to make a donation.

Ken

Full flyer is posted at the following link on dyestatcal:
http://images.dyestat.com/dyestatcal/images/2009/August/01%20Know%20It%20All%20clinic/KIA%20flyer%2009-2.pdf