|
End of Season Statewide
Summaries - Girls Div III-IV-V
Thacher's Bessie Hatch
(Division V)
Girls Division III
The Girls Division III featured some of the best "in-season"
running with the West Catholic Athletic League providing the top three
individual finishers in the State Meet in this division, something we
think is undoubtedly a first!! Michelle Gallagher (Sacred Heart Cathedral,
San Francisco) took the regular league affairs and Section Meet, with
Melissa Grelli (Presentation) and Ciara Viehweg (St. Ignatius, SF) slipping
by in the State Meet, with Grelli a fine 17:59 in winning. Traditional
CCS power San Lorenzo Valley (Felton) and NCS powerhouse Campolindo (Moraga),
along with University City (San Diego), were very strong on paper coming
back. It was a very, very impressive squad from St. Francis (Sacramento),
with a huge improvement since last year who charged through to win the
state meet. Twenty year Coach John DuCray had a super group and did a
masterful job of bringing the crew along. The 95:47 and 78 points that
it took to edge in ahead of Campolindo's 96 (96:25) is very, very impressive,
with times in that range typically earning rankings among the top twenty-five
in the entire U.S! With the depth this year we doubt that they will be
listed among that select group nationally, but as one with a sense of
the history of this whole operation (having done state rankings since
the early 1980's), the St. Francis group ranks among the very best in
state history of its school size! Seniors Christina Sanchez and Sarah
Kritl were super on top for St. Francis, with a good trio of top 40 finishers
to build on next year for Caoch DuCray. Campolindo Coach Chris Walsh scratches
his head to try to find another spot in the trophy case for a State Meet
plaque, with four in the top fifty to go after the title in 2003. Placer
was super with its 97:50 for third with 192 points this go-round, with
individual fourth placer Kim Crouch and Andrea Gruber leading a strong
foursome who return next Fall. St. Josephs (Lakewood) was fourth in a
race that had ten squads go under a twenty minute 100:00 average at 201
(98:53), with University City (SD) 5th at 205 (98:00). This was another
division that we would match this year's depth against any other in state
history!
Girls Division IV
Oak Park marked a stunning sweep of the Boys and Girls Division IV contests
at the Section and State level, with Coaches Kevin Smith and J.J. Castner
putting together frightening squads at a smaller size school. The Girls
Championship team (92 points - 97:12) had seven runners in before any
squad finished their scoring five in Fresno, with a nice 1:12 1-5 gap
behind strong leader Lauren Morales (5th individually overall), usually
unheard of at this level! With six of the top seven back, including the
top four, it looks tough for the competition for a while, with this Ventura
County power seemingly entrenched with a training system that improves
athletes as much as anyone in the State. Harvard-Westlake had super frosh
Bridget Ballard emerge, and star Lindsay Flaks courageously finish the
season with a ninth place at State, on their way to a fine runner-up effort
at Fresno with 133 points (98:12). Maranatha (Pasadena) survived a hectic
early fall school site move to take the third plaque home from state with
151 points and 98:31 team time. Five here ended up under 100:00, quite
impressive running at this size.
Individual champion Laura Meyers (Maranatha), who moved strongly over
the last mile of the Fresno meet, finished out a super prep harrier career.
Off to a flying start as a newcomer to the sport, she broke 19:00 as a
frosh athlete in either her first or second attempt on the challenging
Mt. SAC facility, with a 3200 the first time we ever saw her tackle eight
laps of almost under 11:00 that same year's spring track season! Talk
about starting right at the top! A junior year affected by mono was quite
frustrating, with a strong religious faith she credits for helping her
to hang in there and a short talk with the power upstairs with a mile
to go in Fresno providing some impetus for her move in that race.
Girls Division V
It appeared before the season that Coach Jim Tracy and University (San
Francisco) had some major rebuilding to be done, with that eventually
completed by the North Coast Section power on the way to a steady improvement
that had them take the State Title in Fresno with 87 points (103:04 team
time). Castilleja was led by star Alana Levinson, with Coach Chris Linke
and the squad with 95 (102:52) in a close State Run for the title!! Chadwick
(Palos Verdes) was third from the Southern Section, with 144 (104:46).
Uni's tradition (they were named the overall State Small School of the
Year by Cal Hi Sports last year!) is quite impressive, again facing the
challenge of creating five scorers and seven for a team from a school
trying to get it done in all sporting areas. University has its top three
back from this year's State contest, with Castilleja Sharlene Su and Tomi
Amos from the top twenty-five in that event, so it may be the usual suspects
next time around at this level!
Individual champ here was a runner with impressive talent who just raced
farther and farther away from the pack as the season went along, romping
to a comfortable 75 meter win in the State contest at 18:58, with Bessie
Hatch (Thacher, Ojai) very impressive this Fall. She is off playing soccer
now, but come track she could run very fast! Treani Swain (Oakwood, North
Hollywood) continues to impress, with the 54 second 400 and sub 2:10 800m
star in track doing fine over the hill and dale in the fall. Treani is
finally a senior, with interestingly, seven of the top ten finishers Division
V Girls 12th graders and the division looking for some new folks to step
up in the upper grouping at the finish next Fall!!
|
is published by 