La Mirada High School

(Link to Long Beach Press Telegram Story About Stephanie)

Start of Girls Division II Race -- Stephanie on the far left (Bill Leung Photos)
Link to video of the race

And they're off! Sperry, Felix, Murphy, Tarver & Blue lead the way

The Front Pack already starts to make a move

Stephanie's race plan was simple: hang back the first mile and stay with the second pack until the switchbacks. At that point get to the front of the second pack and close the gap on the leaders. She worked it to perfection. Around the loop, Stephanie, Anna Sperry and Markie Voyles ran a 2:35 for the first 800 meters and 5:16 for the first mile. Unlike last week, when she fell behind on the switchbacks, Felix was able to keep get ahead of the other two runners and entered the runway heading to poop-out hill in 4th place with a respectable time of 9:28, just 20 seconds behind the front pack of Kauren Tarver (Serrano HS), Whitney Blue (Newport Harbor HS) and Kevyn Murphy (Mira Costa HS).

After poop-out, Felix clocked in at 11:53 for 2-miles. On the backside of reservoir hill she maintained the fourth spot and reached the summit of the grueling hill at 15:05 minutes --- 20 seconds faster then her first race at Mt. SAC and right on target for the day. Coming down the steep hill on the far side of reservoir, Simi Valley HS runner, Anna Sperry, overtook Felix and finished the race in 4th place. Sperry was among the top five finishers in the CIF Division I State Meet in 2004.

Approaching the finish, Stephanie knew that the only way to guarantee a trip to the State Meet was to finish in the top five. Under the format for qualifying, the top seven teams advance to the state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno next Saturday along with the top five individuals not on a qualifying team. Turning onto the runway heading to the finish, Stephanie was right behind Markie Voyles of Don Lugo HS and running with Christine Babcock of Woodbridge HS, each one of them vying for the fifth spot. Under normal circumstances, Stephanie, with her 400 meter training, would easily out-kick the others. It was not to be, however, and Felix finished the 2.91 mile race in 7th place, 8 seconds behind Voyles. Until the finish, she followed the plan to perfection and actually had her best race of the year. The video of the race on dyestatcal.com reveals just how close the race really was. Stephanie was in it until the end.

But, because she did not finish in the top five spots, the only way for Stephanie to advance to the state meet would be if at least two of the girls who finished ahead of her advanced with their teams. A quick glance at the teams in contention gave her some hope: Babcock represented Woodbridge HS, 3rd ranked all season and a school that had advanced to the State Meet at least 12 times since the inaugural event in 1987 and 10 years in a row. Tarver was from Serrano HS, the 3rd place team in 2004 and the 4th seeded team in the race. Blue's Newport Harbor HS team was the #1 ranked team in the race. And Murphy's Mira Costa team had been ranked in the top ten most of the season. Sperry and Voyles were the only runners entered as individuals who finished the race ahead of Felix. Only two of the teams needed to come through for Stephanie to become the first runner from La Mirada High School to race at the State Meet. Besides, in Division II, no individual finishing as high as 7th place with a time of 18:05 had ever failed to advance. Her chances looked good.

Just before the Awards Ceremony was to begin, the "Official Results" were released. Stephanie's coach took her aside---away from the team---and delivered the news. Newport Harbor won the race; but, neither Woodbridge, Serrano nor Mira Costa had advanced as a team. Stephanie was the 6th individual finisher and did not qualify to move on to the next level.

Even though her tears of disappointment were a natural response, Stephanie Felix's season was not a failure. The races she ran, the records she set and the excitement she brought to her team were remarkable achievements for a first year runner.

Of the 11 races she ran, she won 8 and came in 2nd place once and 3rd place once; she set grade level or overall course records 8 times; she was named area "Athlete of the Week" four times, is the 2005 Suburban League Champion and is the first Cross Country runner from La Mirada High School to be named to the "All CIF" Team. Her times of 17:15 at Warren-Stauffer, 17:51 at La Mirada Regional Park and 18:05 at Mt. SAC are La Mirada High School records that will likely be broken only by Stephanie. All-in-all, Stephanie came closer to qualifying for the State meet than any previous runner from La Mirada High School. Along the way she established herself as the premier distance runner in Matadores history.

All of her teammates and coaches salute Stephanie Felix for her outstanding and inspirational performances this season. Her contributions helped to make the 2005 season Simply the Best.

Kirby Lee Photo