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Super affair promised
this weekend at Stanford University Invite - Top Preps Featured
Lauren Jespersen (Klamath) and Tim Nelson (Liberty Christian, Redding)
two of the nation's best - continue their rivalry with super group at
Stanford - read below - IT'S GONNA BE SUPER!!! (Dan Nelson photos)
Below Melissa Grelli (Presentation, San Jose) and Amy Robinson (Maria
Carrillo) will be along to battle (here at Cowchip Meet - Cameron Potter
photo) - Danielle Schuster (Torrey Pines) highly rated 1600 runner cranks
in Cross Country (George Green photo) - Whitney McDonald (Thousand Oaks)
leading super Lancer squad in first huge test of year!!!
Stanford Invitational Preview
Girls Division I
Upstart recent power Thousand Oaks out of the Southern Section will face
some great competition, led by Buchanan (Clovis) out of the Central Section,
and Marina (Huntington Beach). Peninsula (Rolling Hills), Torrey Pines
(Encinitas), and Milpitas are also very strong, making this a super race.
Grant (Portland, Oregon) has famed distance runner Rudy Chapa's daughter,
Annaliese, who was 17th last year in the Oregon State 4A CC Meet as a
frosh last year, leading the team.
Individually, Danielle Schuster (Torrey Pines, Encinitas), a 4:54 1600
meter runner, will face Phyllis Blanchard (Rancho Cotate, Rohnert Park),
very solid this Fall in her Invitational runs, with Anna Attard (Marina,
Huntington Beach) also very highly thought of. Shanna Sparks (Carson,
NV) and Trisa Rasmussen (Mountain Ridge, Az) were among the top 15 here
last year.
Girls Division II
Wow!!! This division features about half the top ten considered teams
statewide Division II. Sultana (Hesperia) added to its stock with impressive
frosh star Danielle Vanela, who fits right in nicely with a Varsity that
should be nationally ranked. Montgomery (Santa Rosa) hot off a Iolani
Invitational win in Hawaii over #23 ranked in U.S. Eisenhower (Yakima,
Wash) leads a crew chasing Sultana, with area rival Maria Carrillo (Santa
Rosa), Granite Bay, led by super Caitlin Chock, College Park (Pleasant
Hill), with Lindsay Allen on top, and Helix (La Mesa) talented groups.
This will be a quick team event! Clovis East (Central Section) is a newer
school that had great success last Fall, with Reno taking the Nevada Union
Meet last weekend, led by star Collier Lawrence.
Individually, Ruth Graham (Gunn, Palto) joined Montgomery as a winner,
herself as an individual, in Hawaii last week, with the Gunn star off
to a super senior year. Caitlin Chock (Granite Bay), Amy Robinson (Maria
Carrillo), Kim Conley (Montgomery), Kelsey Delagardelle (Sultana), Katie
Strachan (Foothill, Santa Ana), Natalie White (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills),
and Ashton Lesiear (Casa Grande, Petaluma) are worthy of ranking in the
State's top ten at this level!!!
Girls Division III
San Lorenzo Valley (Felton), Corona del Mar (Newport Beach), Placer (Auburn),
and St. Francis (Sacramento) will sort out the top half of the State's
"top ten" rankings on the course here, all programs with tradition
that does not need introduction to anyone. Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood),
La Canada, and Miramonte (Orinda) are others that can threaten near the
top at this division. Klamath Union (Oregon) took the Girls Title at the
Yreka Invite early this Fall, with Katie Leary runner-up there. Oak Park,
very highly ranked Division IV, is listed in this field in the entries,
with the Lauren Morales led Southern Section power capable of competing
very strongly at this level also.
Ciara Viehweg (St. Ignatius, San Francisco) risks an undefeated fall record
in this event against area rival Melissa Grelli (Presentation, San Jose),
with Lindsay Flaks (Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood) one of the State's
best at this level. Ann Purcell (Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland) and Becky Cummins
(Corona del Mar) are mentioned among the top in the State Division III.
Sara Kritl (St. Francis, Sacramento) and Jen Saura (Miramonte) raced strongly
in recent weekends. Stephanie Hamilton and Emily Romo led SLV here last
year.
Girls Division IV
If Oak Park races up at Division III this contest is a bit more wide-open.
Piedmont is considered one of the State's best here, with Jehan and Naomi
Sparks leading the team nicely at the Ed Sias Invite (2nd place overall).
Templeton out of the Central Section is led by Kristen Browning, one of
the State's best at this level, felled by injury right at the end of last
Fall's season after taking the section individual title. Fillmore is ranked
in the Southern Section at this level.
Gabi Rios-Sotelo (St. Mary's, Berkeley) is hot off a divisional win at
the Nevada Union Meet, with Liz Cadigan (Central Valley) a high placer
returning.
Girls Division V
Look for Tri-Valley (Grahamsville, New York) in this race, with the team
some stunning performances for a school their size in the past. Heather
Iaturo, daughter of the coaches, is one of the top prep steeplechasers
in the nation (they do run the event in the New York State Meet, a 2000
Meter event!), and was 17th in the All-Division State CC Meet last Fall.
Castilleja (Palo Alto), led by Alana Levinson, Flintridge Prep (La Canada)
highly ranked from the Southern Section, and Lick-Wilmerding (NCS) are
strong Golden State squads.
Boys Division I
Individual showdowns will be the watchword here, with Foot Locker National
Finalists Lauren Jespersen (Klamath, Oregon) and Tim Nelson (Liberty Christian,
Redding) already taking down one huge Course Record this Fall in the Yreka
Invite. Here, they will hook up with Kyle Alcorn (Buchanan, Clovis), State
3200 Champ last Spring, and State Division I CC Champ Erick Maldonado
(Don Lugo, Chino). Alec Wall (Grant, Oregon 8:29 3000) and teammate Joaquin
Chapa 1:52.72 (800) and 3:54.89 (1500) will be quite tough!! Jonathan
Cardenas (Reno) was second to Tim Nelson closely a week ago in Tim's CR
Nevada Union run. Oscar and Miguel Uribe (Grace Davis, Modesto) have a
series of good races already this year. Wow - what a race up front!!!
An interesting group of teams will battle. Mead (Spokane, Washington)
was second to Jesuit by 4 points here last year, with State Rival Joel
Ferris (Spokane) capable of severley testing them. Mead took the State
4A title in Washington last Fall, but Ferris (3rd) has five of its top
seven and a talented top foursome back! Grant was sixth in the Oregon
State 4A Meet with 6 of its top 7 back! Indio, led by junior Joel Cota,
has impressed in the South, with Madera the top rated team in the Central
Section. Klamath was second in the Oregon 4A Meet, with Jespersen and
Kevin Pellegrino in the top ten individually! Reno and Galena are solid
from Nevada, going 1-2 at the Nevada Union Meet a week ago. Taylor Lucero
(Bakersfield) is ranked second individually in his area.
Boys Division II
The big question here will be whether this is the "coming out party"
for Yong-Sung Leal (Arroyo, San Lorenzo) who missed a good part of track
with injury, but is considered one of the nation's top runners off a super
end to his soph track season and Foot Locker Finalist effort last year
in Cross-Country. Babey Wagnew (Helix, La Mesa) is very hot, under 14:30
on a flat 3 last week at Woodbridge (Irvine). Jesuit will lead a good
team contest, led by star Austin Ramos, with San Ramon Valley (Danville)
a great De la Salle/Carondelet Invite run in winning last week behind
individual titlest Dallin Rosdahl. Burbank's Kyle Ivie has had a fine
Fall, with the Montgomery (Santa Rosa) duo of KC Cody and Matt Fitch consistent
high placers. Woodcreek has talented Calvin Glass leading.
Boys Division III
Redwood (Larkspur) is led by super soph Jake Schmitt, with St. Francis
(Mountain View), Miramonte (Orinda), and Oakmont (Rosevile, Sac Joaquin
Section) highly thought of at this level. Oak Park is listed at this level,
with one of the State's top-ranked Division IV squads, led by Ken Brook,
capable of competing here.
A strong group of individuals will heat up the action at this level. 4:18
1600 junior star Alex Dunn (San Lorenzo, Felton), Schmitt (Redwood), 1:53
800 star Kenny Frank (Enterprise, Redding), and Dan Napieralski (Oakmont),
hot off a Golden Chip Victory a week back, will be rolling up front! Sean
Lawrence (Bear River, Grass Valley), highly ranked division IV, is listed
at this level, and will be a threat. Sean Barrett (St. Augustine, San
Diego) is talented from his area of the State.
Boys Divison IV
Fillmore is top-rated in the very tough Southern Section at this level,
with some interesting "sorting out" of things early on, with
Carmel and Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), led by fine 1600 star, JK Withers,
highly thought of from around the State prior to the start of the season.
Flintridge Prep (La Canada), very highly ranked Division V is listed here,
with Seth Horwitz a fine individual leading the #2 ranked group Southern
Section Div V.
Mohamed Trafeh, a junior from Duarte in the Southern Section was as improved
as any runner in State history from one year to the next, with monster
mileage easing the slight star to the front of the pack. He is hot this
Fall, with a 14:51 flat 3 a week ago! Craig Hall (Big Bear) is off to
a fine start this season, with Juan Mejia leading the good Fillmore team.
Tony Keiser (West Valley, Cottonwood) is racing strongly this Fall.
Division V
Many of the highly ranked individuals at this level statewide are entered.
Nathan Condie (King's Academy - CCS), Nick Neely (Crystal Springs Upland
- NCS), Daniel Fisher (College Prep - NCS), and Garrett Metcalf (Tri-City
Christian - San Diego), should have a good contest for the win! Fisher's
College Prep group is considered among the State's half-dozen best at
this level.
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