On a wet and muddy Friday afternoon, the San Bernardino Valley men and the Glendale women, showed once again why they are the number one ranked teams in the polls as both took home So Cal Championship titles in Ontario.

Elizabeth Lyons of Pasadena leads a pack of runners heading into the 2nd mile.  (Photo, courtesy of Chuck Lyons)

The hopes that the rain would hold off long enough were dashed as it started to come down heavily during the women’s race, which started at 1:00pm.  As the gun went off, nearly 200 hundred athletes screamed from the line, and from that onset, Glendale took control of the race within a few minutes.

Karen Rosas of Glendale looks very strong as she starts to pull away from the pack on her way to the victory.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

As the runners came around the first mile marker, Karen Rosas led a pack of nearly ten women.  In the mix, Orange Coast had two athletes, Chelsea Clifford and Analicia Silva.  Also, LA Trade Tech’s Christina Alacatar, Cuesta’s Kelsey Devon and Southwestern’s  Ayded Reyes.

Analicia Silva and Chelsea Clifford of Orange Coast had strong races.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

Yet as the race continued, Glendale showed its dominance as Rosas, Alyssa Selve and Angela Martinez all took over control of the race as they were one-two-three by the two mile mark.  Those three runners held that position with Rosas winning the individual title in a time of 17:54. Her teammates, Selve placed 2nd with Martinez taking 3rd.  In the team competition.  Glendale won by a large margin over Orange Coast scoring a mere 27 points.  LA Trade Tech finished 3rd, only one point behind the Pirates.

Ayded Reyes and Cristina Alacantar charge towards the finish line.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

Mt. SAC placed 4^th, Antelope Valley placed 5^th, Moorpark was 6^th, Cuesta was 7^th, Southwestern was 8^th, Riverside was 9^th and Cerritos rounded out the top 10.

The men's lead pack trudges through the muddy course going into the first mile.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Logren)

In the men’s competition, it was a much closer affair, with 4-time defending state champion San Bernardino Valley trying to add another So Cal title to their collection.  The race started in even more oppressing conditions as the rain and wind picked up adding to the drama of the race.

Southwestern's Ansu Sowe heads into the 2nd mile as the rain starts to pick up.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

Manuel Gutierrez leads the men's 2nd pack which includes Omar Cortes of Trade Tech, Mizrael Mendez of Glendale and David Rosales of El Camino.  (photo, courtesy of Thom Hunt)

A large pack roared through the first mile with no definitive leader.  Daniel Herrera of Cerritos, Augustin Alva and Omar Cortes of LA Trade Tech, Julian Lopez of San Bernardino, and David Rosales of El Camino were all in the mix.  As the race progressed though, the pack started to thin.  Herrera of Cerritos and Alva of Trade Tech started to pull away.

The weather was much of the story as this picture demonstrates.  (photo, courtesy of Chuck Lyons)

The grass was a slippery test for the athletes as they traversed the course.  (photo, courtesy of Chuck Lyons)

Herrera, looking like he is glad it is over, races to the finish line for the win.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

In the team competition, things were also heating up.  SBVC and Trade Tech began to move into contention.  Also gaining notice was San Diego Mesa, who had a large pack towards the front.  Glendale, also looked as if they may be a factor.

Trade Tech 2nd place men's and 3rd place women's teams.  (photo, courtesy of Geoff Skarr)

As the race continued, Herrera pulled away for the win, with Alva finishing 2nd and Rosales finishing 3rd.  The team competition was not decided until the very end with SBVC eeking out a win over Trade Tech, with Mesa and its excellent packing taking 3rd.

Glendale placed 4^th, Orange Coast placed 5^th, El Camino took 6^th, LA Valley, placed 7^th, Riverside placed 8^th, Cerritos placed 9^th and Cuesta rounded out the top 10.

Southwestern and Mesa Win Titles

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Balboa Park

By Thom Hunt

The ladies charge from the start at Balboa Park at the PCC Championships.  (photo, courtesy of Thom Hunt)

The Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Championships were contested on the challenging hills of Balboa Park.  Two major hills in the final 1 ¼ miles push the runner’s fitness levels to their maximum and keep the times on the slow side.

Jhovanna and Sanger battle it out at the races mid way point.  (photo, courtesy of Thom Hunt)

In the ladies race, Southwestern College won their 11^th consecutive conference title, but not without a strong push from 2^nd place Palomar College and 3^rd place San Diego Mesa.  Led by Ayded Reyes, who won in 21:07 and 2^nd place finisher Valerie Hycz (21:16), Southwestern’s up front strength was too much for the other contenders to overcome.  Hayley Brown made a strong push over the hills to move up to third place for San Diego Mesa.  Kathryn Bouvatte and Katie Sanger ran strongly up front the whole race as Palomar pushed Southwestern in the closest finish in quite a few years.  Imperial Valley, a young program showing great improvement, and Grossmont also qualified their teams for next week’s Southern California Championships.

The men's leaders including, eventual winner Marx (center) move around the winding course at Balboa Park.  (photo, courtesy of Thom Hunt)

On the men’s side, San Diego Mesa won their 6^th consecutive conference title with a dominating performance and a winning score of 18 points.  Mesa was led by Dylan Marx (1^st, 21:35) and Aaron Thomas (2^nd, 21:43) who ran with Southwestern’s Ansu Sowe (3^rd, 22:07) for the majority of the race before pulling away on the finishing hills.  Mesa had nine athletes on the 15 member All-Conference team.  Southwestern and Cuyamaca battled for the runner-up spot, with Southwestern’s up front strength just holding off Cuyamaca’s depth for a three point margin.  San Diego City College showed great improvement in qualifying for the Southern California Championships for the first time since 2006 by finishing fourth.

Mt. SAC Women & Trade Tech Men Win SCC

10/26/11

The women's pack roars from the start at the SCC Championships.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

The Lady Mounties and the LA Trade Tech Men took home conference titles in the always tough South Coast Conference Championships run at Cerritos Regional park this past Saturday.  What many thought was going to be a very fast course turned out to be deceptively tricky to run.

Pasadena City College sophomore Rebecca Nunez (left) and Los Angeles Trade Tech's Lucia Trejo match strides during SCC Championships on Oct. 29. (photo, courtesy of Chuck Lyons)

A group of Pasadena women move towards the first mile of the SCC Championships (photo, courtesy of Chuck Lyons)

In the women's competition, three of the top seven teams in the state matched up. Mt. SAC was able to hold off a furious charge by the Trade Tech women, winning by a narrow margin of four points.  There was a slight upset as the Pasadena women knocked off the 7th ranked Cerritos women to take 3rd overall.  The individual winner was Compton's Robinea McClinton, who looks to be turning into a serious threat to win the State's individual title.

Robinea McClinton of Compton takes command of the race on her way to victory.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

Cerritos' Munir Khassay leads a pack down the snake road, he would place 3rd overall. (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

In the men's competition, once again, you had four ranked teams in the field including 3 in the top ten.  LA Trade Tech, who has had a solid season this year, was able to keep that fine streak going as they took the team title, with runners placing 4th, 5th and 6th overall, defeating El Camino and Cerritos.  Mt. SAC placed 4th.

A crowded field heads into the first mile marker of the men's race.  (photo, courtesy of Chuck Lyons)

In the individual competition, Cerritos' Daniel Herrera cruised to an easy victory, winning by over 24 seconds over the next closest competitor, El Camino's, David Rosales.

Sean Graham Perez looking strong as he heads towards the finish.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

Results

Orange Coast Pulls the Double

10/25/11

The Glendale men and women both took home team titles at the Western States Conference Championships this past week.  The performances by both teams were dominating ones and seemed to prime Glendale for the State Championships coming in late November.

In the men's race, Mizrael Mendez lead the Glendale and the rest of the field to take the individual title.  In all, Glendale placed four runners in the top ten, giving them the victory over their next competitor, LA Valley.  Cuesta took the third place spot.

In the women's competition, it was more of the same, except to even greater extent as the Glendale women grabbed five of the top six spots, narrowly missing a perfect team score.  Karen Rosas took the individual title.

Results

OCC Men & AVC Women Win by the Water

All photos by Dean Lofgren

10/14/11

Runners trudge through the soft sand just after the start.

The Orange Coast men and the Antelope Valley women brought home team titles this past Friday on the ocean front course of Santa Barbara Invitational. 

Cerritos's Daniel Herrera and Munir Kahssay start to take over.

In the men's race, it looked as if Cerritos my be the team to take the title as their two front runners Daniel Herrera and Munir Kahssay crossed the finish line practically together with Herrera getting the nod as the winner in a time of 21:19.  However, through superior packing, Orange Coast had its top five in within the top 15 spots to pull out the victory.  El Camino, who had four in the fifteen was 2nd with Cerritos grabbing third.  College of the Sequoias and home town team Santa Barbara were 4th and 5th respectfully.

Dillon Scott and Matt Bottomley charge into the finish.

In the women's race, Antelope Valley continued to show improvement.  Lead by Danielle Chavarria, the AVC women had four in the fifteen to beat out a second place Cerritos squad which was lead by Natalie Fyke.  Victor Valley placed 3rd, with Sequoias 4th and Orange Coast 5th.

Robinea McClinton on her way to victory.

Paolo Gonzalez finishes strong for AVC.

The winner of the race was Compton's Robinea McClinton.

Cerritos's Natalie Fyke makes her way up the hill to the peninsula.

Results    Men Ind.    Men Team     Women Ind.     Women Team

RCC TOP CCC Team at San Marcos

RCC had a solid showing at the Cougar Classic.  (photo, courtesy of Jim McCarron)

The Riverside Tigers were the top finishing community college team this past weekend at the Cougar Classic hosted by Cal State San Marcos Invitational.  They placed third overall out of the 8 teams in attendance.

MT. SAC & SBVC Win at Brubaker

Photos by Maddie Weissman

The Mt. SAC women charge the hill.

The Mt. SAC women and the San Bernardino Valley men took home team titles at the Brubaker Invitational that was held this past weekend.

SBVC shows its dominance.

They were lead by Brianna Gonzalez's 19:36 performance.  Pasadena placed 2nd while Fullerton placed third.

In the men’s competition, there were no surprises as San Bernardino Valley took the top 6

 places, finishing with a perfect score of 15.  Second place went to Mt. SAC while the 3^rd

 place position went to Pasadena.  The race was won by Benjamin Barragan in 20:51.

OCC Women & LATT Men Win at So Cal Preview Meet

Orange Coast dominated the race.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

The OCC women and the LA Trade Tech men took home team titles at the So Cal Preview meet held in Ontario this past weekend.  With a field of nearly 30 colleges in attendance with over 250 athletes per event, the meet turned out to be a very exciting one.

A women's pack charges right after the start.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

American River will be a factor come state time.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

In the women’s division, with a noticeably absent Glendale squad, the Orange Coast women took the team title in impressive fashion.  Orange Coast went 1-2-3 in the women’s final results.  Lead by Analicia Silva, who took the individual title in a time of 18:33, OCC, scored a minute 22 points to win going away over 2^nd place Mt. SAC and 3^rd place Antelope Valley.

A mens pack rolls through the first mile.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

In the men’s division, the LA Trade Tech men used depth to take the blue ribbon.  However, they received stiff challenges from runners from OCC and Cerritos.  Cerritos’ Daniel Herrera won the race in an excellent time of 20:09, as the Falcons managed to place two runners in the top five.

Trade Tech won with 41 points, they were followed by Orange Coast and then American River, which showed that it would be the northern power to reckon with come state championship time.

Results

SBVC and Glendale Justify Their #1 Rankings at the OCC Inv.

9/17/11

The San Bernardino pack heads to the finish.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

If there was any doubt that San Bernardino Valley or Glendale deserved their #1 rankings going into this weekends competition at Fairview Park at the Orange Classic, they were dispelled very quickly.  Both teams put on dominating shows of strength at the race as they soundly defeated the competition.

Runners sprint towards the finish line.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

In the men's race, SBVC wend 2-3-4-16 and 18 to easily defeat OCC by a margin of 43 to 76.  Glendale had the top runner in the race, Mizrael Mendez, who won in a time of 20:21, but after him, it seemed to be a parade of SBVC runners crossing the line to leave any doubt who would come out the victor.  OCC placed 2nd with Glendale 3rd.

Karen Rosas pulls away for the victory.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

On the women's side, Glendale was every bit as impressive as they went 1-2-4-9 and 11 to take down their nearest rival OCC by a score of 27 to 66.  GC's Karen Rosas also took the individual title as well.

OCC's Carmille Garcia would finish 12th.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

LA Valley Men & Hartnell Women Demonstrate Strength at Cuesta Inv.

9/19/11

The LA Valley men and the Hartnell women both impressed on the extremely difficult Fairbanks Cross Country Course in San Luis Obispo.

LA Valley place four runners in the top 15 to hold off a pesky Saddleback team to take the victory over the 8 team field.  Cristian Soratos of Hartnell was the individual winner.  LA Valley received solid performances from Manuel Gutierrez and Kevin Joyce.

In the women's race Hartnell just edged hometown favorites Cuesta as they eeked out a narrow victory of a mere 6 points.  College of the Canyons placed 3rd.  The individual title went to Cuesta's Devon Kelsey.

Results

Ruby Rodarte running hard at the UCR Inv. (photo, courtesy of Geoff Skarr)

The Tech men share a moment at the UCR Inv.  (photo, courtesy of Geoff Skarr)

Palomar Yields Surprise Victories

9/9/11

The women charge a hill at Palomar (photo, courtesy of Kevin Barda)

The Victor Valley women and the Saddleback men took team titles at the Palomar Invitational this past Friday.  Victor Valley scored a total of 79 points to defeat last years State Champion team Southwestern.

SW's Ayded Reyes won the meet, however, VVC was able to place two athletes in the top ten as well as having some strong placings a little further back giving them the victory.  Imperial Valley placed 3rd.

The men fly from the start. (photo, courtesy of Kevin Barda)

On the men's side Saddleback was able to defeat Southwestern by 10 points.  SW's Ansu Sowe, won the race in dominating fashion, yet, Saddleback, led by Ricardo Campuzano, placed 3 in the top 10 to secure the victory.  Cerritos placed 3rd.

Results

The ARC men & Glendale women dominate

9/10/11

The American River men and Glendale women dominated the competition in the annual Fresno Invitational.  Woodward park, which will later serve as the backdrop to the State Championships in November, was the scene.

Both teams were rarely challenged as they went on to take easy victories.

Results

The Trade Tech Men and AVC Women Win at Ventura

9/5/11

The Trade Tech men pack together on their way to victory.  (photo, courtesy of Geoff Skarr)

The Trade Tech men and the Antelope Valley women got off to shining starts for the 2011 season as both teams took victories at the Ventura Invite this past Saturday.

In the men's competition, Augustin Alva won the race, which found 3 of the top 4 finishers from the LATT.  This led to an easy victory over the next closest team, LA Valley.

The AVC women start to make a move.  (photo, courtesy of Dean Lofgren)

On the women's side, another LATT athlete, Ruby Rodarte won the event.  However, AVC, had 4 of the top 10 finishers, which was enough to give them the victory.

Results     Men     Women

The Glendale Women Shine at Fullerton

9/5/11

The Glendale women got off to a fine start at the Cal State Fullerton Season Opener held this past Saturday at Carbon Canyon Park.  Behind the find running of Karen Rosas, who placed 2nd overall, the Glendale women placed third in the overall team standings, defeating many of the universities in the process.

In the men's competition, the highest finishing squad was Orange Coast, who grabbed 4th overall out of the 19 teams that competed.  They were lead by Scott Dillon, who placed 21st overall.

The 2011 X-Country Preview

All Photos, courtesy of Dean Lofgren

The hot days of summer training are in full motion and that can only mean one thing, the cross country preview is here!!!  With the opening meets of the season only a few weeks a ways it is time to take a look at what the top teams did last year and who we should keep our eyes on this season. 

Last season, the Southwestern women were finally able to win that elusive title, leaving the bridesmaid role and being crowned champions in dominating fashion.  On the men’s side, it was the same story as San Bernardino Valley continued it’s total control over the men’s field winning its fourth straight title. 

However, it is a new year, which means new faces that could have an impact on the outcome of this years title chase.  As always, gocollegetrack.com will present a preview of last years top southern finishers as well as teams to watch that may make big time moves during the season. 

Men's Preview

Raymond Dominguez, seen here at the State Championships, will be a tough one to replace.

1. San Bernardino Valley (1^st So Cal, 1^st State) – It just seems like there are some things you can count on, the sun rising in the east, the weather cooling deeper into the fall and SBVC cross country making another run at a state cross country championship.  For 4 consecutive years, they have dominated the men’s competition, taking the state title so often, it seems like an automatic.  SBVC will still be tough this upcoming season, but things may not be as easy for them as one may think.  For the first time they will be losing 3 of their top 4 finishers, including last years state runner-up, Raymond Dominguez.  Also departing will be Travis Nemchik, leaving their top finisher from last year coming back, Jonathan Lopez who placed 14^th overall.  SBVC is still the team to beat, but they will have their challenges.

Pedro De Alba, was the top performer for Trade Tech last season.

2. LA Trade Tech (4^th So Cal, 3^rd State)- LATT had their best season in recent memory as they placed 3^rd overall.  With a strong contingent of sophomores coming back from last years squad, they are definitely going to be a team to watch.  Their top runner, Pedro De Alba moves on but back are several talented runners who could certainly put Trade Tech into a very high position come this November.  Bryon Puentes, who placed 13^th overall and Augustin Alva who took 22^nd will be the main two to watch.  In addition Sean Graham will add further depth to an already very potent line-up.

Zachary Ellis, seen here at the So Cal Championships, should be a key player for OCC in 2011.

3. Orange Coast College (2^nd So Cal, 4^th State)- As their women did, OCC placed 4^th overall. However, unlike their women, there top athlete from last year, Hugo Gutierez who placed 12^th overall will be returning.  OCC will lose powerhouse runner Jake Dawson, however, Zachary Ellis will be back after missing track to fill in a very important role for the Pirates.  After that, the only other runner that OCC will lose is Eric Dyson, who did provide veteran leadership.  If OCC can fill in a couple of holes, it will not take much to see this team to be in contention for a top 3 spot.

Cardona leaves a legacy of dominance.

4. El Camino (3^rd So Cal, 5^th State) – Last year, ECC had an athlete, David Cardona, demonstrate a dominance that has seldom been seen at the community college level.  Along with Cardona, Jose Lezama also produced stellar performances that placed ECC into the top five.  However, El Camino is in the unenviable position of having to replace both those runners, which given their remarkable record over the last two years, would seem impossible.  However, ECC is not without some talent coming back with Anthony Lewis who placed 23^rd overall and Justin Caracoza who took 58^th also set to return.

Glendale has to replace both of its frontrunners in 2011.

5. Glendale (6^th So Cal, 6^th State)- On the strength of Rico Gutierrez 5^th place finish, GCC was able to keep its point total far enough down to grab the 6^th place overall finish for his squad.  Ricky Avila’s 24^th place finish, also indeed helped GCC's cause.  However, both Gutierrez and Avila are moving on, which will leave GCC very thin up front unless they can replace those athletes.  They will also lose their number 3 runner, Neil Jones as well.  This may be a rebuilding year for Glendale.

SD Mesa, could be a team to look out for in 2011.

6. San Diego Mesa (7^th So Cal, 7^th State)- Mesa should definitely be a team to watch this year.  Last season they placed a very strong 7^th at State and with the combo of Dylan Marx who placed 9^th overall and Eddie Lopez who took 27^th. They have a couple of front runner potentials to make things very interesting.  What Mesa will need to do is add some depth to go with that front running duo, which in turn will move them up higher on the final standings chart.

The loss of the Aquino brothers is going to create some big shoes to fill for AVC.

7. Antelope Valley (10^th So Cal, 8^th State)-   Once again, Coach Covert was able to bring a high quality team to the state meet, garnering another top ten finish for the team from the high desert.  However, there will be some strong challenges that he will be facing this coming year, mainly with the departure of the Aquino twins, that ran so well for him all last season.  Adrian Ramos will also be moving on, leaving some sizeable holes to fill.

Riverside shocked many at the So Cal Preview last season.

8. Riverside (5^th So Cal, 9^th State)- The Tigers shocked everybody last season winning the Preview meet and then later on in the year, taking the conference title from an OCC team that seemed to have a lock on that trophy for years.   At the State Meet, they did not fair quite as well, placing 9^th overall with a nice pack starting in the 30’s range.  They will also have some key athletes coming back, including Nezanet Woldai who is capable of being a front runner.

LA Valley was a mainly sophomore squad in 2010.

9. LA Valley (8^th So Cal, 10 State)- LA Valley had a solid season, placing 10^th overall with a very experienced squad.  While they do have some freshman coming back, the majority of their runners from last years campaign were sophomores.  This included their top 3 finishers at last years state meet, leaving them a very large task to rebuild in 2011.

Cuesta had the mid pack strength but are looking for a front runner.

10. Cuesta (9^th So Cal, 11^th State)- Cuesta took 11^th last year based on their packing skills. They were a mixed team of sophomores and freshman, yet did not have a front runner.  If they hope to move up in this years rankings, they will have to add to both of those concerns come November.

Teams to Watch 

Herrera (white), could be the answer to the Falcons prayers.

Cerritos- Cerritos, who had a very good year in 2009, suffered from injuries in 2010 and ended with a disappointing season finishing far back in the final state rankings.  However, this year, they have added something they didn’t have last year, a state champion threat in Daniel Herrera.  Herrera, who placed 2^nd in both the state 5k and 10k in track will give the Falcons a huge boost and if they can add to their depth, they could make some noise in 2011.

Women's Preview

Solid pack running was one of the keys to the SW women's success last season.

1. Southwestern (1^st So Cal, 1^st State)- After the Southern Cal Championships in which the Jaguars put on one of the most dominating team performances in history, there was little doubt that they would be seriously challenged at the State Championships.  Those beliefs proved to be very true as they went on to take the title, defeating runner-up Glendale.  In all, the Lady Jags placed 4 runners in the top ten and two of them Ayded Reyes and Aylin Mejia will both be back giving them plenty of up front fire power to bring home another title.  Also returning is Valerie Hycz, who placed 21^st overall.  Once again, it looks like SW is going to be the team to beat on the women’s side. 

Angela Martinez (221) had a banner rookie campaign and much of GCC's hopes will hinge on her performances.

2. Glendale (2^nd So Cal, 2^nd State) – The Glendale women have been at or near the front of almost every meet they have run over the last several years, and 2010 was no different.  Although they did not take the title this year, they still finished a solid 2^nd to Southwestern, 28 points back.  However, they will be definitely going through some transitions for the 2011 campaign as many of their key players will be moving on.  Their top sophomore, Briana Jaragui, is gone, yet they still have many key returners back.  Angela Martinez and Alyssa Selve, who finished 9^th and 10^th respectively are returning,  but they will also have to replace Keri Molt and Diana Sanchez.  Glendale should, once again, be an impact team, but they will have to get their mid packers to move up to contest with the likes of Southwestern.

Danielle Low was the dominant runner in the state last year but will leave big shoes to fill in 2011.

3.  LA Trade Tech –(3^rd So Cal, 3^rd State)- Behind the dominate running of Danielle Low, Trade Tech had its best finish on the women’s side in its history.  Low was also bolstered by the outstanding performance by Liliana Mercado.  However, both those athletes will be moving on leaving Martha Pena, who placed 15^th overall as their top returning athlete.  Melissa Cortez, their number four finisher and Arielly Conde their number 5 will also be leaving, which will give Trade Tech some sizeable holes to fill for this upcoming year.

OCC will be looking to regain a spot back in the top 3 this year.

4. Orange Coast (4^th So Cal, 4^th State) – For the first time since 1996, the Lady Pirates finished out of the top three.  To make matters more challenging, OCC is also losing its outstanding star runner, Sara Toberty, who placed 8^th overall.  However, the Lady Pirates do have some solid talent returning, including Ana Silva who took the 11^th place position, and Claudia Pelayo who took 30^th.  Yet, they will also have to replace Andrea Jacob-Gayton, who placed right behind Pelayo.  OCC can return to a top 3 spot once again, but they will have to strengthen their depth in order to do so. 

Jaasmin Pina, as well as several other key athletes will be moving on leaving some needs to be addressed.

5. Mt. SAC (6^th So Cal, 5^th State)- The Lady Mounties came in with a strong team, that included front runners as well as depth.  They were able to parlay that into another top five finish as they grabbed that spot at the State Championships.  Mt. SAC was lead all year by Jaasmin Pina and she did the same at the championships, placing 19^th overall.  Pina, may have been expected to finish a little higher, and with the rest of her team recognizing her as the leader, that may have thrown them a little off in the final race of the year.  After Pina, the next highest finisher was Rachelle Abrigo who grabbed 28^th overall.  The Mounties have their work cut out for them as they lose quite a bit to graduation.  Their top returner could be Melina Tolentino, who had a solid track season and could be looked up for some strong improvement in cross country. 

With the rise of some outstanding freshman and an outstanding precedent set by Nicole Rietveld, Moorpark could be very dangerous.

6. Moorpark (5^th So Cal, 6^th State) – Moorpark had one of its better finishes in recent times and could be in a position to continue that rise.  Freshman Andrea Berrerra had a great rookie campaign, finishing 12^th overall.  Even though their next runner did not finish until the 51^st spot overall, Nicole Rietveld, they had a nice grouping.  Their next 3 scoring runners all finished in the next 10 spots.  When you add this to the fact that Moorpark only had one sophomore on its entire roster, they may be a team you would want to watch. 

Anaiz Ortiz (121), will be moving on, but don't count out AVC.

7. Antelope Valley (8^th So Cal,7^th State) – Antelope Valley came into the season with a nice mixture of freshman and sophomore athletes which was enough to give them a strong 7^th place finish at the State Championships.  This season, they have the potential to continue that trend as several top athletes will be returning.  Although they do lose outstanding athlete Anaiz Ortiz, they do have some very good ones returning, this includes Danielle Chavarria who placed 44^th overall and Olivia Lazano. 

Casey Candelaria was the top Tiger in 2010, however, there are now some big holes to fill with her moving on.

8. Riverside (10^th So Cal, 8^th State)- The Lady Tigers continued their trend of finishing in the top ten with an 8^th place finish at last years championships.  Yet, that was mainly done on the strength of the solid performance by Casey Candelaria.  Candelaria, unfortunately for RCC, is moving on leaving their next highest finisher, Alyssa Vaughn, who took 58^th as their top returner.  The Tigers are going to have to add a lot to their line-up in order to maintain their status among the states elite.  However, they have been able to do this well throughout the years. 

Victor Valley was one of the surprise teams of the year with solid performances by runners such as Tiffany Verduzco.

9. Victor Valley (7^th So Cal, 10^th State)- The other team from the high desert made its first appearance in the top ten and capped off their best season with a 10^th place effort..  They were lead by the outstanding freshman, Cheryl Eastwood who placed 20^th overall.  What is impressive about this team last year was its youth, with its three top finishers all returning for the 2011 season.  If they can get their mid-pack runners to close the gap on the Eastwood, this team could make a move. 

With new runner, Natalie Fyke in the fold (2nd place) as well as returning freshman Lauren Thompson, Cerritos is poised to make a move.

10. Cerritos (9^th So Cal, 11^th State)- The Falcons have been usually in the top 7 for the past several years, but injuries in 2009 and youth in 2010 kept them out of the position last year.  Yet, what might have worked against them last year, could work for them this year as dramatic improvement was seen in Lauren Thompson and Adriana Raya during track.  Also, for the first time in a few years, they will have a front runner in Natalie Fyke. 

Teams to Watch