TRAC League Championships
Friday, November 3, 2006 Woodward Park, Fresno (CE) - 5k
Buchanan girls and Madera boys excel in state tune-up!

 

Saylor, Thomas add to exploits
Senior cross country stars repeat as TRAC champs, plan out college careers.
By Andy Boogaard / The Fresno Bee
11/04/06 04:03:18

They don't wow big crowds by popping big 3s, hitting home runs or spiking a volleyball.
All Lauren Saylor of Buchanan and Mikel Thomas of Clovis do is put in their 50 or so training miles weekly in virtual isolation inherent with cross country, then on "game" day run away from the pack and kiss the finish line as those spectators so familiar with them by now clap softly and say, "Good job."

But rewards in the form of full college scholarships are nearing for the seniors, who extended their dominations in the Tri-River Athletic Conference championships Friday afternoon at Woodward Park.

League title No. 4 for Saylor — who will sign Wednesday with Washington — came wrapped in a 17-minute, 59-second runaway over the area's next star, Clovis freshman Meghan Marvin. She clocked 18:46 over the 5,000-meter course.

League title No. 3 for Thomas — who recently had a Nebraska coach in his house — was considerably more contested, although he still was running against the clock while finishing in 15:35. Senior teammate Jonathan Peterson ran with him for more than a mile before placing second at 15:42.

Madera's boys and Buchanan's girls repeated team championships in arguably the TRAC's highest-quality meet ever.

The Coyotes, ranked first in the Central Section and third in the state's Division I by DyeStatCal, were led by junior Isai Orea (fourth, 15:59) and seniors Rocky Richardson (sixth, 16:04) and Vicente Velarde (10th, 16:20), while edging Buchanan by three points.

The Bears' girls, also ranked first in the section and third in the state's D-I, had their first five runners — those who score — finish among the top 10 in defeating Clovis by eight points.

Besides Lauren Saylor, Buchanan scored with her sophomore sister, Cathryn Saylor (seventh, 19:13), freshman Chelsea Janzen (eighth, 19:26), senior Kristen Kirby (ninth, 19:28) and sophomore Sue Choi (10th, 19:31).

Sophomore Tawnie Kroll (fifth, 19:02) backed Marvin for Clovis, ranked second in the section and 10th in the state's D-II.

Madera's boys, Buchanan's girls, Saylor and Thomas will attempt to successfully defend team and individual titles in Thursday's section championships at the same site.

Saylor, a day following her 17th birthday, used the long stride of a 5-foot-81/2 frame to deliver "a good workout prepping for the state meet" while finishing 24 seconds short of her personal best on the course. The state meet also will be here Nov. 25.

Running cross country and track and field exclusively in high school after also participating in soccer, softball and basketball in lower grades, she picked Washington over Colorado and Arizona State.

"I liked the team, coaches and atmosphere," she said. "It's a beautiful place, the best running place, I think."

Thomas said he probably won't choose a college until the spring.

The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6336