Announcement
CIF-SS Cross-Country Division II Prelims
Saturday, November 15, 2003
Mt. San Antonio College
Amanda and Ana: The only girls from La Mirada to ever run under 20 minutes at Mt. SAC
When the gun went off for the start of Race #10, the girls followed the game plan exactly as instructed. Amanda stayed with the front pack and was #10 to #15 the entire race. Ana & Destinie kept the pace and were right behind for the first mile and a half. Erica fell off the pace a bit at first but continued to struggle to regain the stride that earned her the freshman record this season. Megan and Jenna worked in tandem to complete their strongest races of their young careers on a hilly course. And Vaniah raced valiantly. Strong leadership by Amanda and Ana had helped forge a team identity that was disciplined and unified. The 2003 Girls Varsity team exemplified TEAM in every way except one: the scoring gap was too wide. On a day when every Division II team that qualified for the CIF-SS finals race ran faster than 99 minutes, the Lady Mats finished in 8th place with a team time of 103:40 and a gap of 2:30. This represents a marked improvement over the 2002 team, and the 2nd fastest team time in school history. Unfortunately, gone are the years when a team can advance in the CIF-SS with only one or two runners under 20 minutes. Sultana High School, winners of Race #10, raced to an amazing 93:01 for the victory. That represents an average time per runner of 18:36 for the difficult Mt. SAC course.
For the 18th consecutive year, the Lady Mats advanced to the prelims only to be turned away empty-handed. Or were they? After a awe-inspiring season, Amanda set a school record, Ana broke trough the 20 minute barrier at Mt. SAC and everybody else raced their best races of the season on the Mt. SAC course! As they reflected on the end to the season, the girls were encouraged by the performances of their young teammates and the respect and admiration they felt for one another. They are well aware of the work they need to do and are more than willing to do it. More importantly, each athlete remains convinced that her team has what it takes to retain the league title and return for the 19th consecutive year to the CIF-SS race. They know that 2004 will be the year they finally advance to the finals!
The boys took the field for the start of Race #4 knowing they needed their finest effort of the season. It wasn't to be, however, as the boys finished in 10th place in their heat, well behind the 4th place spot they coveted. Jared Bird took off after the first lap around "the loop" and finished in a La Mirada HS record-setting time of 16:18. After a slow start, Nathaniel picked up the pace and was the 2nd finisher for the Matadores. Ryan fell off the pace on the back end of poop-out hill and finished 3rd. The surprise performance of the day came from Jorge, who was the team's 4th scorer. Kevin, Freddy and Taylor rounded out the Varsity seven.