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Inland Empire Championships
Saturday, October 7, 2006 At Guasti Regional Park (SS) - 3 miles

Even though summer has faded fast, the Inland Empire is heating up once again! The sixth version of the Inland Empire Championships looks to field the deepest fields in its history. In one of the fastest growing regions in the United States, the IEC will pit some of the finest squads in California against each other once again. Bragging rights for who the best team and best individuals are in the IE is up for grabs. With the temperatures cooling down, the times should be hotter than ever as they run at Ontario’s Guasti Regional Park! The Boys’ Sweepstakes Race will feature four teams that have been ranked in the Top 10 Division I Southern Section polls in the past month while the girls Sweepstakes Race will highlight four Division I squads that are or have been ranked in the Division I polls to go along with two others that are featured in the recent Division II rankings! In scoring the top seven finishers from each respective county against one another, Riverside County walked away with the boys’ and girls’ titles in 2005. Riverside County will have its work cut out in keeping that distinction in their grasp here in 2006!

The Boys’ Sweepstakes Race will feature 2005 runner-up Upland. Led by seniors Ryan Gamboa and Albert Davila, the Highlanders have their eyes set on the big prize in late November and a possible Nike Team Nationals (NTN) Bid. A strong 5th place finish at the Woodbridge Classic was backed up with a 9th place showing at last weekend’s Stanford Invitational. Gamboa ran an impressive 15:25 at Stanford last weekend as his squad has secured itself in that 5th place ranking in the ever-so-tough Southern Section. Gamboa is also the reigning San Bernardino County Champion as he broke 15:00 on this same course in 2005. Upland will be challenged by several Riverside County foes. The Eagles of La Sierra will put the racing flats on and come to play as they look to back up their current #1 Riverside County ranking. This group shined early on by setting the meet record at the Fastback Shootout and has formed a formable pack behind one of the greatest duos in California history in Spencer and Dylan Knight. Along with Gamboa, these two will threaten the course record (14:46.7) set in 2004 by Don Lugo’s Fitsum Tesfa. Junior Steve Norton and senior Mike Mahoney are coming on in forming a great supporting crew. Impressive results from last weekend pushed La Sierra up to #7 in the recent SS rankings. The “new kid in town” here is Vista Murrieta. In it’s 4th year of competition, the Broncos have bucked their way to the top in toppling Southwestern League Powerhouse Murrieta Valley, 29-31 in their first league meet two weeks ago. Seniors John Matson and Alan Shelton have moved this squad in the Division I rankings and look to prove that they belong amongst the elite this weekend. Junior David McDonald has also been right there forming a strong 1-2-3 punch! It’s hard to believe that we’ve mentioned three others schools before getting to Murrieta Valley, but last year’s defending champions are in transition (to go along with the increased depth of this race as well). When push comes to shove, the Nighthawks always deliver the product and we will not be surprised if they are right there in the end making this a tight four-way race! Junior David McCutcheon has grabbed the reigns left behind by Patrick Milloy. McCutcheon eclipsed the 15:00 barrier at Woodbridge, and after being sick in that recent match-up against Vista Murrieta, will be right there with the leaders in this race. Connor Pastoor led an incredible six-second scoring gap (#2-#6) at Woodbridge. Murrieta Valley has exercised a lower-key approach towards September and will make this a race to remember. Beyond those four squads, it is a race for 5th place. Apple Valley’s Granite Hills impressed last weekend at the Dana Hills Invite and won the Yucca Valley Hi-Desert Classic. Also shooting for that 5th spot will be Corona. Despite graduating 4 of it’s top 5 from a CIF Finalists squad in 2005, they have built back up and broke 80:00 at the Woodbridge Classic. Great Oak (only in its 3rd year) is already stepping up and challenging the big boys. This squad possesses a tremendous depth (and youth) and was very impressive at Dana Hills! Tradition-rich Rubidoux features a strong 1-2 punch in Juan Ruiz and Edwin Ortiz. Finally, Indio’s Ankur Joshi impressed last weekend at Yucaipa in breaking 16:00. All in all, the 2006 IEC Boys’ Sweepstakes could be the fastest in its history as it kicks off at 9:20 am!

The Girls’ Sweepstakes Race will feature the deepest field in the history of the IEC. More than just a three or four team race, there are six ranked squads in this race with several others looking to pull some upsets. Murrieta Valley has won this race in every year of its existence (and qualified for the state meet as well) while this year – they are the favorites once again! No program in the Southern Section had more ups and downs this summer than this group, as some forsaw “cracks in the armor.” But they have come out firing on all cylinders at the Woodbridge Classic three weeks ago and sent a stern message to all doubters! Junior Taryn Pastoor (17:32 @ Woodbridge) now leads this squad and is one of the favorites for the individual title. Senior Katie Borum had a huge breakout race by running 18:09 while sophomore Kendell Dye and junior Paige Mobley are close behind! Possessing as much big race and postseason experience as any squad in California, Coach Steve Chavez has these girls focused and driven while this group’s fortitude makes them more dangerous than before. They recently moved from 6th to 4th in the recent Southern Section rankings. In what may seem like “another” Southwestern League Meet, Great Oak and Vista Murrieta will join their counterparts in taking on the rest of the Inland Empire. In what has become one of the toughest leagues in the Southern Section, Great Oak gets our nod for being most likely to challenge for the title. Beset with late-summer injuries to go along with some pleasant surprises, the 3rd year program has secured itself as one of the best in the IE. One of the most improved athletes in the Inland Empire, junior Abbey Gallaher has improved by over a minute on every comparable course that she ran in 2005! One of the surprises for Great Oak is sophomore Olivia Hustleby (18:25 @ Dana Hills last weekend). Meanwhile, the Wolf”pack” are just that – they have a number of athletes that will step into those pivotal scoring slots. The “other” SWL power Vista Murrieta has come out of the gates strong here in 2006. Senior Alyssa Hernandez is healthy this season and running very well along with teammate Danica Rosendale. Nicole Matera is also a major player for the Broncos. These three squads are legitimate CIF Finalists next month. With the depth of this particular race being so deep it may come down to which squad packs up the best and keeps to a low scoring gap! Redlands proved that it can do just that with impressive results as last weekend’s Yucaipa Invite, where they were the Girls’ Varsity Team Champs. Last year’s overall champion, sophomore Lauren Jacobs is slated to run and with the overall depth of Redlands – this squad has the ability to leapfrog everybody mentioned above. Junior Elizabeth Ramos led a pack of SIX Terriers to a 24-second gap last weekend as they return everybody from their CIF Finalists squad and IEC runner-up in 2005! Redlands has stayed more conservative here in the early going and, perhaps, is using the IEC as their coming-out party! Unlike the boys’ race, there are six or seven teams that can compete for the top three-team awards here! Corona missed qualifying for the state-meet by one place last year and is more motivated than ever. Injuries and defections have bruised up this group of young women, but they are becoming healthy and more consistent in recent weeks. Last year’s Riverside County champ, sophomore Ashley Evans, is beginning to regain her form that saw her break 5:00 on the oval last spring. The key to Corona’s success will hinge on a low scoring gap as they are relying on a squad still gaining big race experience. Ranked in and out of the Southern Section rankings, two of the most improved squads in the area have been Upland and Hemet. Upland is coming off of a busy week that featured a Baseline League Meet victory over a tough Los Osos squad and traveling to the Stanford Invite and breaking 100:00 on a 5k course! Featuring a line-up that fluctuates, they are led by senior Valerie Acevedo. Hemet’s Bulldogs are led by junior Ashley Beechan and senior Kendra Mueller. They will run with a full squad this week and look to upset the balance in the IEC and make the area take notice of its eastern regions! Beechan has shown as much as improvement as anybody in the IE. The Brianne Bentley-led Los Osos squad, that missed the 2005 Division I Finals by 16 seconds, comes off of a successful September where they were the team champions at the Yucca Valley Hi-Desert Classic. Finally, Rim of the World comes down the mountain to join the action while being led by senior Sara Crowder. In the past, the Girls’ Sweepstakes Race features several solid squads – not in 2006 as this is the deepest and most talented field yet.