DyeStatCal Cross-Country State Athletes of the Week

October 24-28, 2005

Doug Speck

Girls Athlete of the Week

Katy Andrews (La Costa Canyon) - San Diego Section

photo by John Dye

Early in the Fall rumors were coming out of San Diego about the potentially strong Girls group at La Costa Canyon HS, with none of the results so far proving any of that early talk wrong. The squad had raced to super local success, and marked a trip north this past weekend to Mt. SAC with a severe challenge for one of the nation’s top teams, Buchanan of Clovis, with team leader, sophomore Katy Andrews, blazing a 17:02 clocking for third in that Team Sweepstakes race. The 17:02 is the #3 soph Time on the newer Mt. SAC course used since 1999, with the clocking when adjusted for the old distance making her among the top half dozen of her grade ever on the hilly facility! The Maverick squad’s performance was stunning, marking them as probably among the nation’s top fifteen squads in the sport!

Katy showed promise last year as a ninth grader, but had her fall on the way to the State meet marred by a non-finish in the Section Finals after a strong season, with track highlighted by a Section runner-up finish over 1600m at 4:59.97 and State Meet experience in June at that four-lap distance.

Andrews obviously has a strong supporting cast at her school, with Gillian Fitch and Brooke Giuffre joining in a sweep of the first three races in the Southern California Invitational in Oceanside earlier this season, a contest where races are set up for runners #1, #2, etc. on different squads. La Costa Canyon has a great rivalry with Torrey Pines, with LCC taking the dual meet between the two 21-34, with big showdowns ahead between the teams at League and the Section meet.

Jumping into the mix of top individuals in the Golden State this Fall, Katy is another another with the possibility of competing in both the Nike Team Nationals and Foot Locker individual contest after the end of the regular high school season!

Boys Athlete of the Week

Danny Mercado - Southern Section

Photo by John Dye

There are two very, very fast Mercado brothers at West Covina HS, with the duo always seen near the front of big races, often book-ending the other top runners with their lengthy hair styles bouncing in the breeze! We have honored brother Diego earlier in the Fall, with Danny never far behind, racing a fine 14:40 for third this past weekend in the Mt. SAC Invitational. The 14:40 is makes Danny the equal #9 time All-Time performer on the newer Mt. SAC course distance run since 1999, and among the top thirty Preps of All-Time when the slightly lengthier old course list and new are combined! It has been a great fall for the Mercado’s!

Danny had a bit of a knee problem last Fall and did not quality for the State Meet in Cross-Country. He returned in Track to run a number of fine efforts, including a seventh in the Southern Section Master’s 1600 at 4:14.71 to move on to the State meet. He added an 8:31.28 3k at the Pasadena Games behind Mark Matusak, and was 14:44.23 for 5000m for seventh in the US Junior Nationals during the early summer!

Free-spirited and hard-driving from the gun, you know if Diego and Danny are in any contest it will be a wilting pace, with Danny joining his brother in what should be a great and glorious close to their senior year prep harrier seasons between now and mid-December!

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Previous Athletes of Week

9/5-9
9/12-16
9/19-22
9/26-30
10/3-7
10/10-14
10/17-21