Wednesday, November 30, 2016

2017 California Track and Field Schedule

February
February 16-18 Simplot Indoor Games at Pocatello Idaho
February 25 Capital Classic Relays at Grant
February 25 Clarke Massey Relays at Cosumnes Oaks
February 25 Bulldog Invitational at Folsom
February 25 De La Salle Super Seven at DVC
February 25 Throwers Classic at Fowler
February 25 Ontario Relays at Ontario
February 25 Burbank Relays
February 25 Buchanan Distance Classic at Buchanan

March
March 3 Steve March Relays at Del Oro
March 3 Pitman Distance Wars at Turlock
March 4 Big Cat Invitational at Santa Rosa
March 4 Dean Andreessen Classic
March 4 Sacramento State HS Track Classic at CSUS
March 4 Tom Moore Relays at Sierra
March 4 Steve Jones Invitational at Burbank
March 4 Vallejo Relays at Vallejo
March 4 Dan Gabor Invitational at Amador Valley
March 4 Willow Glen Invitational at Willow Glen
March 4 Rustbuster Invitational at Monta Vista
March 4 Peninsula Kickoff Distance Classic at CSM
March 10 Stanislaus County Meet at Turlock
March 11 San Rafael Twilight Relays at TBA
March 11 KBell Invitational at Los Gatos
March 11 Del Campo Distance Carnival at Del Campo
March 11 Randy Sturgeon Invitational at Granite Bay
March 11 Wolfpack Relays at Merrill West
March 11 Welton Moore Relays at Grant
March 11 Merced County Championships at Golden Valley
March 11 TKA Distance Carnival at TKA
March 15 Pitman F/S Showcase at Turlock
March 17 Calaveras F/S Invite at Calaveras
March 17 LeFebvre Relays at Placer
March 18 Husky Invitational at Sheldon
March 18 Lancer Invitational at Cordova
March 18 Jaguar Invitational at Kimball
March 18 Dublin Distance Fiesta Invitational at Dublin
March 18 St. Francis Invitational at St. Francis
March 18 Cupertino/De Anza Invitational at De Anza
March 18 Garlic Classic at Gilroy
March 24 County Clash V at Oakdale
March 24 Bronco Distance Carnival at Bella Vista
March 25 APU/AHS Invitational at Azusa Pacific
March 25 Firebird Invitational at TBA
March 25 Bay Area Relays at TBA
March 25 Ron Ruptier Memorial Invite at Ponderosa
March 25 Metro Invitational at Burbank
March 25 Mark Macres Invitational at Monterey Trail
March 31 Wolfpack Distance Carnival at Cosumnes Oaks
March 31 Colfax Invitational at Colfax

April 
March 31/April 1 Stanford Invitational at Stanford
April 1 MJC Invitational at Modesto JC
April 7 Cougar Coed Relays at El Dorado
March 7 Friday Night Lights at Inderkum
April 7/8 Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia
April 8 Hughson Invitational at Turlock
April 8 JFK Cougar Invitational
April 8 Thunder Invitational at Rocklin
April 11 Jesuit Easter Invitational
April 11 Rio Linda Invitational at Rio Linda
April 14 Woody Wilson Invitational at UC Davis
April 14/15 Mt. SAC Relays at Walnut HS
April 15 Serra Invitational at Serra
Bearcat Invitational (waiting on date) at San Mateo
April 22 Viking Classic at Montgomery
April 22 CCS Top 8 Meet at Los Gatos
April 21 Del Oro Invitational at Del Oro
April 22 Bella Vista Invitational at Bella Vista
April 22 Northern California Frosh/Soph Championships at Dublin
April 22 Fred Faucett Vallejo Invite at Vallejo
April 22 Halden Invitational at Davis
April 22 Hal Clements Bret Harte Invite at Bret Harte
April 22 Glenn Poole Invitational at Oakmont
April 28 Shedon Distance Carnival
April 28 Frosh/Soph SacTown Races at Whitney
April 29 Sacramento Meet of Champions at ARC

May
May 5 Gold Rush Elit at Calaveras
May 5 Kays Ostrom Nevada Union/Bear River Invitational at Nevada Union
May 6 JFK Frosh/Soph Invitational
May 17-19 Div I SJS Trials and Finals at Elk Grove
May 17-19 Div II-III SJS Trials and Finals at Bella Vista
May 16-18 Div IV-V SJS Trials and Finals at CSU Stanislaus
May 20 CCS Semi-finals at TBA
May 25-26 SJS Masters Trials and Finals at Elk Grove
May 26 CCS Finals at TBA

June
June 2/3 California State Track and Field Final at Buchanan 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

All-Time California XC State Meet Podium Teams '87-'16 (Girls)

If you spot any errors, please let me know in the comment section below.

All-time top CCS boys' teams at CA state meet

"I keep all these records for Bellarmine’s purposes, which is why there is no girls data. Anyone who wanted to do it would find all the info on Hank’s site…just need some time and an interest in State history!! Enjoy, and congrats to all those who ran so well at CCS…for me, that would be a special shout out to the Aptos girls and Dublin and Campo boys teams, from the Bay Area…truly inspiring to watch them all run! I was so proud of their efforts…and of the many individuals who ran so well, especially Liam Anderson…wow!!!!!! See you all in track; Patrick McCrystle, Bellarmine College Prep"

Here is the LINK to all the top CCS individuals and teams all-time at the state meet.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Catching up with Santa Rosa HS senior, Luca Mazzanti

Today we catch up with Santa Rosa senior runner, Luca Mazzanti (photo to the left is courtesy of ca.milesplit.com and Ben Crawford). This past Saturday, Mazzanti was the top NorCal placer in the Division II race with his 5th place finish and 15:24.3 time. Earlier this season, Mazzanti finished in 25th at the Stanford Invitational seeded race. He went on to win the NBL championship and then finished in 5th place at the NCS meet with a time of 15:20.3. During the Track and Field season, Mazzanti finished in 4th place at the NCS MOC meet with a time of 4:18.21, just missing the state Track and Field meet. He followed that up with a very fine Steeplechase effort over the summer as he ran the 2nd fastest time in CA history in the 2000m Steeple with a time of 5:54.96.

1) You finished in 5th place at Saturday's CA state meet. Heading into the meet, what place did you think you could finish if you ran well?
Heading in I thought I was for sure in the top 20 and had the potential to move up. My fitness was still going up every week and I felt great on my runs so I had a "perfect day" goal to crack the top 10.

2) What was the plan heading into the race? Did you have a pace in mind for the first mile/2 mile? Did you have any runners that you could shadow? 
I really wanted to focus on being conservative in the first mile and be able to chase people down in the last mile or so. My coach had me pick 3 spots to make a move and that worked really well because it also kept me mentally engaged in the race. I had sort of a vague idea to look for the Dublin guys because I thought I could stick to them for a while.

3) What was your place and time at the mile mark? How did you feel at that point? 
My plan was to hit the mile in 4:50 and I crossed it in 4:52 so at that point I felt really relaxed. I was probably in 30th or so at that point and that is when I started moving up and picking people off.

4) Did you have a pretty good idea of your place throughout the race itself? How tough was the last mile? When did you start your drive for the finish line? When did it sink in that you finished in 5th place? What was your place and time in the Division I race last year?
I started to notice my place when we got to the big hill. I saw that there weren't a ton of people ahead of me so I started to pull up to the lead pack and was a few meters behind them when we reached the 2 mile mark. I actually felt really good for the last mile. I made a move on the rolling hills in the back and caught up to the leaders. I didn't want it to come down to a sprint so I started a long drive to the finish and that's when the pack broke and started going for it. I didn't have my normal kick but I sort of had the jump on a few of the guys so I was able to hold them off. It really sunk in when I saw my coaches and they were ecstatic about my race. I think my time last year was around 16:30 or so and 98th in the race. (editor's note: he finished in 105th with a time of 16:28.3) You could say this year went a little better.

5) When did you start running and when did you first realize that this is the sport for you?
I started running in 7th grade but it was mostly to get in shape for soccer and hang out with friends. Freshman year I was going to play soccer and not run cross-country but a friend convinced me to come to a practice and I loved it so I chose to run instead. That year I ran some pretty good times and decided to do running a little bit more seriously.

6) Did you do anything differently over the summer as you prepared for this season?
I raced the steeplechase this summer which was tons of fun. It meant I ran a lot less miles but I got to get in some really fun races and workouts so it was a good trade.

7) What about your training during the season? What was your typically weekly mileage? Any key workouts? Distance of your longest run? Pace of most of your road runs? Did you have to do most of your runs/workouts on your own?
I am a pretty low-mileage guy so I didn't do a ton of super long workouts. I started doing double days twice a week which probably bumped up my mileage to around 45 a week. I took a nasty fall while running the day after Stanford and hurt my hip pretty bad. I couldn't run for 2 weeks so that set me back a little but I cross trained and kept up my fitness relatively well. We have 2 key workouts in cross-country. One is an adapted version of what one of my coaches ran at Michigan. It's called the Michigan and is meant to simulate a race. The other is called Cobblestone and is a tempo/ hill workout. We keep records of both so it's nice to look back and see what you ran as a freshman. I think I got one run in that was 12 miles but I backed off after I hurt my hip and didn't get back above 10. I usually run around 7:00 pace and cut it down to 6:30 pace by the end of most runs but it depends on how easy I am supposed to take it. I usually run with one of my friends but he was hurt this season so I was on my own for most runs, at least for the majority. It's not as fun but in a way it forces you to focus more.

8) Tell us about your coaches and how they have helped you get to this point in your running career.
8) My coaches are awesome. I would not even be close to this point without them. Doug Courtemarche and Carrie Joseph work together so well and have a great system in place to help us develop as runners. They put emphasis on being able to develop past our high school years and making sure we don't burn out. Our newer coach (in comparison to Doug and Carrie), Kevon, is super knowledgeable about strength training and nutrition stuff so he's been a huge help in staying well rounded. The best thing about my coaches is how they encourage the team to be better in all aspects of our lives and not just athletically.

9) Favorite XC course? Favorite XC invitational? Favorite XC workout? Favorite long run? Favorite TF event? Favorite TF invitational? Favorite TF workout? Favorite movie? Favorite free time activity?
My favorites have got to be Mt. SAC for invitational and course just because of how challenging it is. My favorite workouts are tempo runs at our home course. In track I have to say steeplechase is my favorite event because it mixes up the race. I also like the 1600 because it's tactical and fast and I love to have a strong kick at the end. My favorite track meet is the Big Cat meet that my school hosts because it's a ton of fun to race so many people on your home track. My favorite movie would have to be Anchorman. I love to go backpacking when I am free on the weekends.

10) Have you made your college decision and if not, how much of a factor will running be when it comes to selecting your college?
I've narrowed it down to a handful of schools but no decisions yet. My priority is academics but running is one of the important factors I am taking into account. I hope to find a school that helps me to develop as a runner without sacrificing my academics.

11) Looking ahead to the Track and Field season, any meets that you are looking forward to and any goals you want to share?
I am really excited about our DMR this season and think we will be able to mix it up with the best teams at Arcadia. I also want to break 4:10 in the 1600 and see how competitive I can be. Maybe get into some steeplechases. But that's hard because there are not many around. If you know of any let me know. I think I could run a decent 3k steeple time.

12) Anything else you would like to add.
It's been a good cross-country season. Hopefully track is just as exciting.

Thanks so much for running such a great site.

Thank you very much for your time Luca! AJC

Northern California podium finishers at California State XC meet

Division IV Boys (Individuals)
4) Ryan Cutter Hercules (NCS)
6) Kellen O'Neill Arcata (NCS)
10) Munir Kabbara San Rafael (NCS)

Division V Boys (Individuals)
1) Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
3) Brian Schulz El Molino (NCS)
7) Jake Lange Nueva (CCS)
9) Sean Laidlaw Lick-Wilmerding (NCS)
10) Eli Horwitz Stuart Hall (NCS)

Division IV Girls (Individuals)
2) Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (CCS)
8) Cassy Haskell Miramonte (NCS)
9) Kaela Dishion Bret Harte (SJS)

Division V Girls (Teams)
3) Nueva (CCS)

Division V Girls (Individuals)
1) Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
2) Alex Stout Pacific Collegiate (CCS)
4) Emily Perez St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
5) Grace Dailey Branson (NCS)
6) Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy (NCS)
8) Kate Bowen Sonoma Academy (NCS)

Division I Boys (Individuals)
1) Luis Grijalva Armijo (SJS)
2) Michael Vernau Davis (SJS)
3) Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine (CCS)
7) Benjamin Holland Jesuit (SJS)
9) Neil Braganza Dougherty Valley (NCS)

Division II Girls (Individuals)
4) Alexandra Beitia Granite Bay (SJS)
7) Meredith Corda Monte Vista (NCS)
10) Isabella Fauria St. Francis, Sacramento (SJS)

Division III Boys (Teams)
3) Campolindo (NCS)

Division III Boys (Individuals)
2) Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS)
6) Collin De Julio Vista Del Lago (SJS)
7) Andrew Skoy Shasta (NS)

Division I Girls (Teams)
2) Davis (SJS)

Division I Girls (Individuals)
1) Olivia O'Keeffe Davis (SJS)
5) Sofia Castiglioni Davis (SJS)

Division II Boys (Individuals)
5) Luca Mazzanti Santa Rosa (NCS)
6) Anirudh Surapaneni Dublin (NCS)
7) Jake Ritter Granite Bay (SJS)

Division III Girls (Teams)
3) Aptos (CCS)

Division III Girls (Individuals)
1) Glennis Murphy Redwood (NCS)
2) Gillian Wagner Redwood (NCS)
4) Marea Zlatunich Aptos (CCS)
6) Isabella Chao Campolindo (NCS)
8) Delaney Rasmussen Vista Del Lago (SJS)
9) Hannah Ruane Campolindo (NCS)

All-Time California XC State Meet Podium Teams '87-'16 (Boys)

Below is an updated list of the podium teams (top 3) for every CA state meet race since the first one in 1987. The bolded numbers are additions from this year's state meet.

If you find any errors, please email me the corrections at albertjcaruana@gmail.com

Girls will be posted tomorrow.

2016 California State Cross Country Championships - Boys D1 Race

Thank you once again to Jesuit coach Walt Lange and crew...

Sunday, November 27, 2016

NorCal NXN Qualifiers

Team Qualifiers
Davis Girls (one of two CA auto qualifiers)

Individual Qualifiers
Luis Grijalva Armijo
Michael Vernau Davis
Cooper Teare SJND
Liam Anderson Redwood
Glennis Murphy Redwood

2017 Track and Field Invitationals

If you are a meet director and know the date of your meet during the spring Track and Field season, please post your meet and date in the comment section below.

A NorCal coach inquired about meets that have shuttle hurdle races. Please let us know what meets in Northern California have that race on their schedule.

Donation to Cross Country Express

If you have enjoyed the pre-season, season and section Cross Country coverage on this website this past summer and current season, a kind donation would be appreciated.  You can do so at the link to the right via PayPal.

This site will remain a free service throughout the year but as you know, a lot of time, effort and money goes into the maintenance of a website.

Thank you to all of you that have contributed already.  It's very much appreciated. Those of you that can't donate or feel no reason to donate, no problem. I will always appreciate your frequent visits to this site.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

2016 California state meet recap

Just a few notes off the top of my head. Feel free to add more below.

NorCal boys (Luis Grijalva, Michael Vernau and Meika B-R) take top 3 spots in Division I race. I am sure that has never happened before.

Redwood sophomore Liam Anderson has fastest sophomore time of the day with his 15:05.3.

St. Joseph Notre Dame won both individual titles in Division V races. I will have to look to see how many teammates have won individual titles in the same season.

Olivia O'Keeffe winning Division I after her sister Fiona O'Keeffe won in 2013 and 2014. Any other siblings have won individual titles in XC?

Nueva girls, first time eligible for CIF competition, finish in 3rd place in Division V race.

Not NorCal but Claudia Lane becoming the 3rd fastest runner on the course trailing Sarah Baxter (twice) and Julia Stamps (once) with a time of 16:45.0. The course record is 16:40 by Sarah Baxter.

Podium teams for NorCal are:
Davis girls in Division I
Aptos girls in Division III
Campolindo boys in Division III
Nueva girls in Division V

Near misses (4th place)
Lick-Wilmerding boys in Division V
Lick-Wilmerding girls in Division V
Bellarmine boys in Division I
St. Francis, Sacramento girls in Division II
Dublin boys in Division II

I will post all the NorCal podium individuals when I get a moment. Feel free to add to my list above in the comment section below.

California State Cross Country Meet

The moment we have all been waiting for is here.

You can get live results from today's meet at the link below. You can also get live updates on your phone. Directions on same page.
http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/xc2016/

If you have any updates that you would like to post, feel free to do it in the comment section below. Following the meet, I will post my usual data with the top NorCal teams and individuals as well as all the podium finishers. 

Best of luck to all competing schools today.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

NorCal Teams and Individuals at the California State Meet

As we approach hump day before the California State meet, check out all the leading contenders from Northern California that will compete this Saturday. Feel free to comment below on who you feel will have an opportunity to podium and/or take state meet titles at Woodward Park. If you disagree with my selection, feel free to post your own contender and their accolades.

Division I Boys
Top rated NorCal team: Bellarmine (CCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Luis Grijalva Armijo (SJS)

Division I Girls
Top rated NorCal team: Davis (SJS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Sofia Castiglioni Davis (SJS)

Division II Boys
Top rated NorCal team: Dublin (NCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Isaias De Leon De La Salle (NCS)

Division II Girls
Top rated NorCal team: Granada (NCS) competing without #1 runner
Top rated NorCal individual: Alexandra Beitia Granite Bay (SJS)

Division III Boys
Top rated NorCal team: Campolindo (NCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Andrew Skoy Shasta (NS)

Division III Girls
Top rated NorCal team: Aptos (CCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Glennis Murphy Redwood (NCS)

Division IV Boys
Top rated NorCal team: Bishop O'Dowd (NCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Roman Munoz King City (CCS)

Division IV Girls
Top rated NorCal team: Santa Cruz (CCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Cassidy Haskell Miramonte (NCS)

Division V Boys
Top rated NorCal team: Lick-Wilmerding HS (NCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)

Division V Girls
Top rated NorCal team: St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
Top rated NorCal individual: Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)

Sunday, November 20, 2016

CIF Model Coach Award Winners

Congratulations to the following NorCal coaches who each received a CIF Model Coaches award. You can view the entire list at this LINK.

Sylvia Goodman (Tamalpais High School) Cross CountryGoodman is the cross country coach at Tamalpais High School. Her positive/transformational coaching style has led to the development over the years of dozens of athletes into competitors in the best sense of the word. She is tireless in her efforts to create a team out of a wide range of athletes: from the inexperienced to the elite, and she deftly and sensitively “threads the needle” between coaching her strongest athletes and her weakest, bringing out the best in everyone, both individually and as a team. Goodman teaches her student-athletes how to balance commitment with fun, how to mix tenacity and a drive to win with respect and sportsmanship, and how to take joy in the process of learning and growing.
Kay Nekota (Vacaville High School) Cross Country/Girls Basketball/Track& FieldNekota has served as the head cross country coach and co-head track & field coach for the past 10 years at Vacaville High School and assisting a year with the girls basketball program. Additionally, she is also a P.E. and math teacher and the school Athletic Director. Nekota has a gift for empowering each of the students she has contact with as she consciously makes the time to ensure each student feels appreciated and valued allowing them to reach their maximum potential. She wants her student-athletes to understand the importance and lessons that athletics provides, but also empowers them to use their position in the community to help others. Coach Nekota is truly inspirational. She raises the expectations of those she comes in contact with while giving them the necessary tools to achieve their dreams.
Eliot Smith (Lick-Wilmerding High School) BasketballSmith is the Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach at Lick Wilmerding High School. His positive attitude is infectious and you can’t help but break out in a smile when he greets you. He demonstrates and defines the qualities of an exceptional professional whose character and commitment to his student-athletes exemplifies all that a coach should be every day, an outstanding role model. Coach Smith is gifted as an outstanding motivational speaker, encourager, and leader. His positive outlook on life permeates his coaching style. Anyone who has had the honor and privilege of knowing him, will always come away encouraged and feeling loved.

2016 NCS MOC XC Meet Videos thanks to Rob Mackey



You can find the remainder of the videos at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSy9WoGLQu6Rap8HcPQ0YLlQK4pgvjpuu

2016 NCS XC Meet Data

You can check out merged results at this link:
http://ca.milesplit.com/articles/197123/merged-results-north-coast-section-finals

Boys' 1st Team All-NCS
1 Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame 14:47.2
2 Isaias De Leon De La Salle 15:06.0
3 Liam Anderson Redwood 15:10.3
4 Anirudh Surapaneni Dublin 15:12.5
5 Ryan Cutter Hurcules 15:13.3
6 Kellen O'Neill Arcata 15:14.4
7 Brian Schulz El Molino 15:15.8

Boys' 2nd Team All-NCS
8 Tristan Miller Monte Vista 15:15.9
9 Jared Yabu Campolindo 15:17.5
10 John Bennett Granada 15:18.1
11 Luca Mazzanti Santa Rosa 15:20.3
12 Gaurav Phanse Dublin 15:20.4
13 Munir Kabbara San Rafael 15:21.7
14 Neil Braganza Dougherty Valley 15:22.2

Boys 3rd Team All-NCS
15 Adrian Schroeder Dublin 15:24.7
16 Jonathan Fiero Miramonte 15:25.2
17 Eli Horwitz Stuart Hall 15:25.8
18 Andrew Thomas Redwood 15:25.9
19 Preston Norris Las Lomas 15:26.5
20 Lucas Strand Livermore 15:26.7
21 Ray Diaz Campolindo 15:27.7

Boys' Honorable Mention
22 Dylan White Clayton Valley 15:28.7
23 Jonny Vargas Piner 15:29.0
24 Loic Scomparin Dublin 15:29.4
25 Willie Mein St. Joseph Notre Dame 15:29.7
26 Daniel Maneloveg Monte Vista 15:30.6
27 Cameron Priest Granada 15:32.7
28 Sean Laidlaw Lick-Wilmerding 15:35.2

Girls' 1st Team All-NCS
1 Glennis Murphy Redwood 16:56.6
2 Gillian Wagner Redwood 16:58.6
3 Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame 17:08.4
4 Isabella Chao Campolindo 17:22.7
5 Meredith Corda Monte Vista 17:27.3
6 Colleen McCandless Granada 17:29.2
7 Hannah Ruane Campolindo 17:29.3

Girls' 2nd Team All-NCS
8 Amanda Olla San Ramon Valley 17:31.8
9 Cassy Haskell Miramonte 17:34.8
10 Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy 17:38.9
11 Emily Perez St. Joseph Notre Dame 17:42.5
12 Rayna Stanziano Concord 17:45.2
13 Marissa D'Atri Alhambra 17:54.1
14 Kai Bohannon Liberty 17:55.4

Girls' 3rd Team All-NCS
15 Gabrielle Peterson Healdsburg 17:55.6
16 Kalea Bartolotto Granada 17:57.2
17 Jourdan Amen Bishop O'Dowd 17:58.7
18 Grace Dailey Branson 18:02.
19 Cynthia Rosales Piner 18:05.2
20 Gracie Dupuis Granada 18:06.7
21 Kate Bowen Sonoma Academy 18:09.6

Honorable Mention
22 Sidney Isom Monte Vista 18:12.0
23 Callie Jones Branson 18:13.1
24 Madison MacPherson Liberty 18:15.4
25 Lauren Lum Alameda 18:16.1
26 Rosie Cruz Miramonte 18:16.3
27 Shelby Nelson Encinal 18:18.4
28 Julia Gonzalez Liberty 18:19.2

Teams qualifying both teams to State Meet
Dougherty Valley (Division I)
Castro Valley (Division I)
Granada (Division II)
Monte Vista (Division II)
Campolindo (Division III)
Redwood (Division III)
Maria Carrillo (Division III)
Bishop O'Dowd (Division IV)
St. Joseph Notre Dame (Division V)
Lick-Wilmerding HS (Division V)
College Prep (Division V)
SF University (Division V)
Sonoma Academy (Division V)

Saturday, November 19, 2016

2016 North Coast Section MOC Cross Country Team Champions

Division IV Boys-Team Champions Bishop O'Dowd
Division V Boys-Team Champions Lick-Wilmerding
Division IV Girls-Team Champions Miramonte
Division V Girls-Team Champions St. Joseph Notre Dame



















Division I Boys-Team Champions Dougherty Valley
 Division II Girls-Team Champions Granada

Division III Boys-Team Champions Campolindo

 Division I Girls-Team Champions Castro Valley
















Division II Boys-Team Champions Dublin

 Division III Girls-Team Champions Campolindo

North Coast Section final today at Hayward HS

All Results: http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/ncsxc16/mp/

Finish line videos are posted at https://www.instagram.com/milesplitca/?hl=en (Feel free to hashtag runners from each race).

I will post photos of the winning teams in a moment. In the meantime, who was the most impressive teams today? Biggest surprise? Best race? Most impressive individuals? 

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

San Francisco Section photos courtesy of Thomas Benjamin

Sweep for Lowell boys and girls teams. 

Lowell senior Sierra Brill set new course record on the 5k course by running 17:26. The previous record was held by Kristen Leung of Lowell and set in 2015 at 17:42. Brill won the SF Section 3 out of 4 years. The course did change last year which made it 1:30 to 2:00 faster than previous course.


Lowell senior Mikolaj Krajewski won the varsity boys race with a time of 15:48. Last year, Salem Bouhassoun of Mission won with a time of 15:36. Best estimate is that the current course used for SF Section is about the same as Woodward Park course.

Northern California Section finals

San Francisco Section
http://highspeedtiming.com/sf/

Central Coast Section
Live Results: http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/ccsxc16/

Sac-Joaquin Section
Live Results: http://timerhub.com/get_web_index.php?page=redcaptiming.com/2016/sjsxc/
Just for perspective, the 15:08 for Luis Grijalva converts to 14:20 at the Crystal Springs course on the time converter on the www.lynbrooksports.com website. You may quibble about how accurate that is but keep in mind that the only boy to run faster than Grijalva and Vernau yesterday was German Fernandez during the same season in which he ran 14:24 at Woodward Park.

Northern Section (already completed)
Results: http://ca.milesplit.com/meets/248286/results#.WCcea-UrLIU

Feel free to comment below on today's meet at the Crystal Springs course and Willow Hills Reservoir. Most impressive performances (team and individual)? Most surprising? Biggest upset? 

2017 Cross Country (couple of heads up)

The Stanford Invitational is tentatively scheduled for September 30th next year.

The 2017 CCS meet will be held at Toro Park.

Any other news? Share below.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

California state meet trivia

Can you answer the following questions without looking? They all pertain to the state meet and the Woodward Park course.

1) Who are the only two NorCal boys to win the state individual title in Division I?
2) What was the last NorCal boys team to win the Division I state team title?
3) 3 girls won 4 state individual titles. One of them is from a NorCal school. Who is she?
4) 3 boys have won 3 state individual titles. One of them is from a NorCal school. Who is he?
5) What NorCal school is tied with McFarland for most state meet boys team titles at 9?
6) What NorCal school holds the record for most girls state meet team titles at 10?
7) This NorCal school scored 18 points to win the state team title. Name the school, year and division.
8) This girl holds the fastest time for a NorCal runner at 16:43. Name her.
9) 15 NorCal boys have won individual titles in this division. Which one is it?
10) This school had 2 girls win 4 consecutive state individual titles between them in Division I. What school was it and who are the two girls?

Feel free to post more trivia in the comment section below.

2016 Final Pre-NCS meet divisional rankings (UPDATED)

Here are my final predictions for Saturday. A more indepth preview will be found in the program sold on Saturday. I have to say that this was by far the most difficult NCS meet to predict that I have done since 2006. It seems like every race has 2-3 teams that could potentially win. That is not unusual but what is unusual is of any of those teams win, many of them will not seem like upsets.

Looking at the weather report, it looks like the forecast says occasional afternoon rain. Perhaps it might rain after all the races and we will get a better idea in the next couple of days.

Division I
Girls - (Top 2 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Castro Valley
2.    Dougherty Valley
3.    James Logan
4.    Berkeley
5.    California

Boys - (Top 2 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Dougherty Valley
2.    Berkeley
3.    James Logan
4.    Castro Valley
5.    California

Division II
Girls - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Granada
2.    San Ramon Valley
3.    Monte Vista
4.    Liberty
5.    Dublin/Amador Valley/College Park

Boys - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Dublin
2.    Monte Vista
3.    De La Salle
4.    Granada
5.    Amador Valley/Clayton Valley/Mission San Jose

Division III
Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Maria Carrillo
2.    Campolindo
3.    Alameda
4.    Redwood
5.    Carondelet/Tamalpais/Las Lomas/El Cerrito

Boys - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Campolindo
2.    Maria Carrillo
3.    Redwood
4.    Northgate
5.    Las Lomas

Division IV
Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Piedmont
2.    Bishop O’Dowd
3.    Miramonte
4.    McKinleyville
5.    Arcata

Boys - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Bishop O’Dowd
2.    McKinleyville
3.    Miramonte
4.    Sir Francis Drake
5.    Albany/Piedmont

Division V
Girls - (Top 6 teams advance to state meet):
1.    St. Joseph Notre Dame
2.    Sonoma Academy
3.    Lick-Wilmerding
4.    University
5.    College Prep
6.    Convent/Branson/Urban

Boys - (Top 5 teams advance to state meet):
1.    St. Joseph Notre Dame
2.    University
3.    Sonoma Academy
4.    College Prep
5.    Lick-Wilmerding
6.    Marin Academy

Sunday, November 13, 2016

2016 North Coast Section Cross Country Rankings (3rd Edition) NEW

I am finalizing the preview for the NCS meet next Saturday. Here are the updated North Coast Section (NCS) team rankings as of today with the help of many section coaches. I would like to be as accurate as possible so if you see any teams and/or individuals that need to be moved or added below, please let me know ASAP by posting in the comment section below.

Division I
Girls - (Top 2 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Castro Valley
2.    Dougherty Valley
3.    James Logan
4.    Berkeley
5.    California

1.    Danika Newlin Castro Valley
2.    Ausmitha Grewal Dougherty Valley
3.    Kayla Neumann California

Boys - (Top 2 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Dougherty Valley
2.    James Logan
3.    Berkeley
4.    Castro Valley
5.    California

1.    Neil Braganza Dougherty Valley
2.    Quinn Schmidt Dougherty Valley
3.    Sebastian Andersson Berkeley

Division II
Girls - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Granada
2.    San Ramon Valley
3.    Monte Vista
4.    Liberty/Dublin
5.    Amador Valley/College Park/Santa Rosa

1.    Meredith Corda Monte Vista
2.    Kinga Bihari Granada
3.    Colleen McCandless Granada

Boys - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Dublin
2.    Monte Vista
3.    De La Salle
4.    Granada
5.    Amador Valley
6.    Clayton Valley/Heritage/Mission San Jose

1.   Anirudh Surapaneni Dublin
2.   Isaias De Leon De La Salle
3.   Tristan Miller Monte Vista/Luca Mazzanti Santa Rosa

Division III
Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Maria Carrillo
2.    Campolindo
3.    Redwood
4.    Alameda
5.    Las Lomas
6.    Carondelet
7.    El Cerrito/Tamalpais

1.    Glennis Murphy Redwood
2.    Hannah Ruane Campolindo
3.    Isabella Chao Campolindo

Boys - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Campolindo
2.    Redwood
3.    Maria Carrillo
4.    Northgate 
5.    Las Lomas

1.    Liam Anderson Redwood
2.    Jared Yabu Campolindo
3.    Ben Lawson Maria Carrillo

Division IV
Girls - (Top 4 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Bishop O'Dowd
2.    Piedmont
3.    Miramonte
4.    Arcata
5.    McKinleyville

1.    Cassy Haskell Miramonte
2.    Jourdan Amen Bishop O'Dowd
3.    Gabrielle Peterson Healdsburg

Boys - (Top 3 teams advance to state meet): (UPDATED)
1.    McKinleyville
2.    Bishop O'Dowd
3.    Miramonte
4.    Sir Francis Drake
5.    Piedmont/Albany

1.    Ryan Cutter Hercules
2.    Munir Kabbara San Rafael
3.    Kellen O'Neill Arcata

Division V
Girls - (Top 6 teams advance to state meet):
1.    Sonoma Academy
2.    St. Joseph Notre Dame
3.    Lick-Wilmerding
4.   University
5.    College Prep
6.    Convent of the Sacred Heart
7.    Branson/Urban/Head Royce

1.    Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy
2.    Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame
3.    Kate Bowen Sonoma Academy

Boys - (Top 5 teams advance to state meet):
1.    University
2.    Sonoma Academy
3.    Marin Academy
4.    College Prep
5.    St. Joseph Notre Dame
6.    Lick-Wilmerding 
7.    Stuart Hall/Head Royce

1.    Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame
2.    Brian Schulz El Molino
3.    Eli Horwitz Stuart Hall

2016 CIF-SJS Section Championships - Varsity Boys D1 Race

Friday, November 11, 2016

Central Coast Section Meet Preview

http://ca.milesplit.com/articles/196142-central-coast-section-finals-preview

Feel free to leave your comments about the meet below. If I missed any teams or individuals, please let me know as well.

Best of luck to all the competitors tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 09, 2016

Northern California League Results

Post your league results in the comment section below. You can post the link or email results to albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION
Sac-Joaquin Section Sub Section Meet Results
http://timerhub.com/get_web_index.php?page=redcaptiming.com/2016/sjsxcsubs/

CENTRAL COAST SECTION
SCVAL
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/ec_res.htm
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/dal_res.htm
WCAL
http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2016Meets/wcal3/
MBL
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/mbl_res.htm
BVAL
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/bval_res.htm
PSAL
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/psal_res.htm
WBAL
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/wbal_3.htm
PAL
Peninsula Athletic League Results

NORTH COAST SECTION
MCAL (NEW)
http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2016Meets/mcalxc/
BVAL
http://ca.milesplit.com/meets/256865/results#.WBtgHOErKRt
EBAL
http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=119016
NBL
http://www.redwoodempirerunning.com/2016-nbl-boys-xc-finals/
http://www.redwoodempirerunning.com/2016-nbl-girls-xc-finals/
BCL WEST
http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2016Meets/bclwestxc/
DAL (Live results)
http://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2016/dalncs.htm
BCL EAST
http://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2016Meets/bcleastxc/#event6

OAKLAND SECTION
OAL

OAL Finals November 12th
Section Finals November 19th

BACSAC
#3 - November 2nd

BACSAC Finals November 12

Sunday, November 06, 2016

HOKA ONE ONE 2-Mile Postal at SRJC 11/11/16

NorCal Coaches! Don't forget to register your team for the NorCal Hoka One One 2-Mile Postal Nationals on FridayNovember 11th!

Coming one week before NCS, this meet is the perfect tune-up for your varsity squad, while being a great chance for those not advancing to prove their fitness on the track. Hoka will be on hand to make sure everyone has a great time, and the competition and conditions (track!) will make sure that your athletes' times are great!

Registration closes Monday, November 7th, so make sure to register your team ASAP! Entries are just $100 per team (or $15 per athlete), and are payable to Maria Carrillo Puma Athletic Boosters at the door.   Note the event page is on the Athletic.net Track & Field page, not Cross Country.

Plus, as part of Hoka's Postal National competition, you'll get a free pair of Hoka running shoes if you register for the national "postal" competition as well. As of 11/2, the 10th place teams in the country - scored by adding the top-5 runners per team - are 50:10 for boys and 61:09 for girls. We know NorCal has many teams that can shatter those marks!

Check the event website for more information, or email Alex at runnerforlife86@gmail.com with questions.


Thank-you and see ya at NCS!  

Greg Fogg

Maria Carrillo High School 
Cross Country / Track & Field Head Coach



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