Announcement
Pepperdine Invitational
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Felix takes third at Pepperdine
**On-site coverage by dyestatcal.com**
Dyestatcal Summary and Video of Girl's Sweepstakes Race
Start with "the most beautiful cross country course in the nation," add some of the top teams in the country, mix it up with lots of hills, dirt, and grass -- and then stir in lots of cold rain -- and what do you get? In the words of the Matadores harriers, you get the most memorable, fun invitational they've ever attended! The early morning rain had just about ceased by the time the Lady Mats took the field for the start of the Sweepstakes race, but the effects of the downpour impacted every race that followed. Instead of "races," athletes struggled to simply pull their feet out of the numerous muddy swamps that had formed on the thick, grassy infield. Some actually found it faster to slide down the hills; in fact, one girl in the varsity race slid her way into the lake before getting up, completing the race and earning a medal! Under the circumstances, times were irrelevant. Those with the most training on hills and grass survived -- those who limited their runs to the asphalt struggled the most. Many of the Matadores, invigorated by the challenge, had their best races of the young season over the 3-mile mud slide.
Arriving at Pepperdine at 10:30 am for the 11:20 am sweepstakes race, Melissa Byrd, Lauren McIntyre, Clarissa Negrete, and Ashley Casanover hurried off the bus to begin their warm-up and immediately stepped into a river of fast-moving water rushing down the hill next to the park entrance. Seeing this, Stephanie, Sarah Jeon, and Tatiana Cortes delayed their exit for a moment too long and found themselves still on the bus when it drove off to find parking. How the girls regrouped and found each other remains a mystery, but they were somehow able to prepare for the race, stay relatively dry, and get to the starting line on time. Unfortunately, they were unable to get a feel for the course prior to their race and ran it sight unseen. They also had no clue how difficult their task was as they were racing FIVE nationally ranked teams in addition to Serrano High School, a top-ranked Division I California team.
Stephanie Felix got out fast and made her way to the front of the pack where she was able to dodge most of the falls and fought for the top spot all the way to the finish. A slight slip to the bottom of the last hill allowed two runners from New York to edge her for top honors. Melissa and Lauren raced side-by-side for the second time this season and Ashley, proving that a rookie can run with the best, was only seconds behind. Clarissa Negrete worked her way through the pack and finished as the fifth scorer for the Lady Mats who found themselves in the ninth spot, one point behind Division I El Rancho High School when the scores were tallied. Overall, they were the 4th California team to finish. The JV and Frosh-Soph girls packed it up and worked together over the mud laden course. For many, it was their first race on a true cross country course and one they will remember for a long time! Valerie Wong, who led the JV crew, earned "Athlete of the Meet" honors for the Matadores.
During the long break between the Girl's sweepstakes race and the remainder of the race, there was both good news and bad news: the sun had emerged! Even though temperatures were now in the 70s, humidity and afternoon sunlight was a factor for the later races. In addition, the earlier races had torn up the course by the afternoon. All in all, conditions were less than ideal for the boys varsity team. Racing without Brett Berger or Andrew Herrick, the boys found themselves behind from the start. Dennis Ly, the sole varsity member to earn a medal, accepted the challenge and made a dash for the front pack. Mark Gillaspy found himself slowed down by the muddy terrain and Michael Palmer lost his glasses somewhere after the first mile. For Andrew Garza the race was no more than a hard workout in preparation for the first Suburban League Cluster Meet. It was Richard Marquez who gained the most from the experience as he completed the soggy course just seconds behind Andrew Garza. For his valiant effort, Marquez was named the Matadores "Athlete of the Meet."
Neither the JV or Frosh-Soph boy's teams raced with a full team, but the athletes who did participate earned the title "HARRIERS" on a day the Matadores runners will never forget! Check back later this week and see how the team fares as they take on the Suburban League at the first league cluster meet this Wednesday at Cerritos Regional Park.
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