2007 Runners of the Week

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2007 Runners of the Week

Posted by Ralph Casas on Jul 14 2007 at 05:00PM PDT

Week #9: Suburban League Finals (Nov 2, 2007): Paulina Tapia, Vanessa Conchas, Regan Garcia, Enrique Nava, Clarissa Negrete, Tatiana Cortes

These are the athletes who excelled above and beyond the ordinary at league finals.

Paulina earned herself a trip to CIF with the varsity team, Vanessa NEVER walks during a race; and Tatiana and Clarissa earned "All-League" honors. On the boys side, it looked like Regan and Enrique wanted to single-handedly move the JV boys into the top spot! for their effort, they both earned a spot on the CIF bound varsity team.

Week #8: All activities cancelled! (Oct. 27, 2007)

Week #7: Mt. SAC (October 20, 2007): Ashley Casanover & Frankie Nogales -- Both Ashley and Frankie are rookies who spent their entire summer training. Their tenacity and work ethic are inspiring and make them an important part of the team's success.
	This season, Ashley Casanover is one of the most consistent members of the girl's team. She has not missed a single workout or a race and is just behind Lauren in overall miles run. Driven to succeed, Ashley pushes herself to her limit every time out. We look forward to a fine career for this hard working athlete!
	Frankie Nogales brings a refreshing attitude and drive that the entire team notices. His determination has allowed him to move further and further up the ladder of success. As long as he continues to progress, he will soon be the type of athlete we all know he can be. A varsity spot seems to be his goal!

**Week #6: League Cluster Meet #2 (Oct. 13, 2007):** **Clarissa Negrete, Lauren McIntyre** & **Dennis Ly**
	Dennis Ly worked diligently over the summer to take his racing to the next level. Last week he nailed every workout and was the #1 scorer at the league meet. His gritty performance showed the boys the type of determination they need to win league.
	Ever since she joined the cross country team as a freshman, Lauren McIntyre's exuberance and never-quit attitude has earned her the respect of her teammates and coaches. She displayed her true character when she was the team's #2 runner at last week's cluster meet and led the Lady Mats to a SWEEP over the entire league.
	Clarissa Negrete is a four-year runner who has been an inspiration to all of us. Though she has been injured or ill almost all season, she never gives up. Her toughness earned her the #1 position in the JV race and made a statement to her teammates that she intends to keep her varsity spot.

**Week #5: Clovis Invitational (Oct. 6, 2007):** **Celinda Manzo** & **Brett Berger**
	Celinda Manzo is a freshman, rookie runner with only six weeks of training on her shoes. Not only was she thrown into a varsity race far too soon for her coaches comfort, she excelled well beyond anybody's expectations. At Clovis, Celinda, wearing a varsity uniform for only the third time, was the fifth scorer for the Lady Mats. Her great attitude and willingness to push herself is a sign that the girl's team will continue to be strong for four more years!
	Brett Berger is also a first year runner who has already made a positive impact on the team. Forced to cut back his training after a fine summer, Brett continues to improve even as he gets healthy. His work ethic, positive attitude, and team-centered approach are contagious and make him a role model for younger athletes. We look forward to a bright future for this fine athlete!

**Week #4: League Cluster Meet #1, Warren-Stauffer (Sept. 29, 2007):** **Andrew Herrick** & **Valerie Wong**
	Valerie Wong is finally training and racing up to her potential. At the first cluster meet she was just behind Aja. At Warren, even though she wanted to "just break 24 minutes," she looked up as she crossed the finish line and read, "21:49." Whatever it is that inspired her newfound attitude is unknown; but it's just in time for the competitive portion of the season and it has NOT gone unnoticed by her coaches or teammates. In fact, the varsity team asked her to make the trip to Clovis with them!
	Andrew Herrick has his sights set on earning a varsity letter this season. Frustrated because he has been unable to train to his potential, he took his anger out on the course last week. At the first cluster meet, he displayed a frenetic finish that saw him moving from the 23rd spot all the way to 17th. By picking off one runner after another, he helped secure 2nd place for his team, 55 - 61. Those six points were the difference between 2nd and 3rd place. At Warren, Andrew's job was to pace Richard... he was so successful that both he and Richard earned new PRs.

**Week #3: Pepperdine Invite (Sept. 22, 2007):** **Aja Labasan** & **Richard Marquez**
	In only her 3rd week of training and racing, Aja Labasan has demonstrated the type of work ethic and drive the girl’s team needs if they hope to continue their string of consecutive Suburban League titles and advance at CIF-SS in a tough Division II. Instead of backing down, Aja approaches her challenges with determination, drive, and a positive attitude. We look forward to a great future for this hard-working athlete.
	Last Saturday, Richard Marquez had a point to prove to himself and his teammates. Since camp, he has struggled to keep a varsity spot. This week he was determined to prove himself "worthy". After nailing every workout, he had his best race of the season at Pepperdine, finishing just behind Garza. He now has his sights on a top 5 spot and on keeping that uniform for the remainder of the season.

**Week #2: La Habra/La Serna (Sept. 15, 2007):** **Mateo Cordova & Kristin Lechuga** -- Both Kristin and Mateo were important scorers for the team this week. Both of them have been able to hold onto their enthusiasm and joy for running to the point that they are known to their teammates as "Ambassadors for Cross Country."
	Mateo Cordova, in his third year on the cross country team, finds himself in that uncomfortable middle ground between the varsity and JV teams. Refusing to be left behind, Mateo approaches every race and workout with one thought in mind: Earn that blue uniform!
	Kristin Lechuga is a rookie as a junior. She prepared hard all summer, ha great workouts at camp, and has taken the rookies under her wing like she was made for the job. Her enthusiastic approach to life makes her a positive role model for all of her teammates.

**Week #1: Long Beach Invitational (Sept. 8, 2007):** Melissa Byrd & Mark Gillaspy Special mention to our rookies: Regan Garcia, Aja Labasan, Mabel Velasquez, and Ashley Casanover. Regan, Aja, and Mabel are latecomers to the team; at Saturday’s race, they all performed well -- and, they did NOT walk! Ashley's time Saturday was 19:58. Other than Stephanie, no other Lady Mat has ever run faster than 20 minutes her first time out.
	Besides assuming more of a leadership role with the boy's team, Mark Gillaspy has turned his career around this season. Saturday -- sometime in the last mile -- Mark asked himself the question, "Why am I doing this?" We have no clue what his answer was, but the last half mile of his race was as energized as any we've ever seen!
	Melissa Byrd trained hard this summer to get back to last season's form. Saturday, in the junior race, she ran stride for stride with Alex Dunne, state finalist in the 3200 and 5th in the State last fall. Byrd's time of 19:00 makes her one of only four Lady Mats to start the season with a time faster than 20 minutes.