Northern California Cross Country Newspaper Coverage

•Woodside's Filipcik 4th at Lowell Invite
•California teams run away with title (Iolani Invitational)
•Redwood runs fifth in Lowell Invitational
•Palo Alto's MacQuitty tops major meet (Lowell Invitational)

Only a few more day to vote for the best male xc runner in NCS.

Norcal and NCS rankings coming in the next few days as well as more interviews with some of the top runners and coaches in Northern California.

Catching up with Petaluma coach Jim Lynch

As the season progresses, I will be posting questions and answers with coaches and athletes from some of the top cross country programs in Northern California.

Thank you very much to Petaluma coach Jim Lynch (boys are top ranked team in No. California) for getting this project rolling with his in depth and informative answers to the following dozen questions.

1) How long have you been coaching at Petaluma High School?
This is my fourth cross country season at Petaluma High. I also took over last track season as Head Track Coach after three years as distance coach.

2) What were your own running and coaching experiences prior to Petaluma HS?
My own running experience developed over many years. I began recreationally after high school in the late 70's. From there I began to get more competitive in the early 90's. I really became a student of the sport from both the athlete standpoint to the physical components of training. I studied and learned through my own training and research. Through trial and error I developed a philosophy (based on the great teachers of the sport) of proper training. Being a Paramedic and having a good working knowledge of physiology I used those tools also to apply to training. I chose to begin coaching high school when my oldest daughter went to high school at St Vincent's in Petaluma in the late 90's. I assisted one year with cross country then started up the track program there in 2000. In 2003 our girls won the NCS Class A Championship. One year later in January 2004 I wanted a cross country program and Petaluma became available and the rest is history.

3) How was your first experience coaching with Petaluma HS? What was the transition like for you from the previous coach?
Very challenging. The program had done well with the girls and they had won some Sonoma County League Championships. However, I did not sense a real belief that this school and kids could compete at a higher level. I came with the attitude that we were going to achieve greatness and that meant deep commitment, effort, and belief in the system. One difficulty was the thought amongst kids and parents that we did not have the area to train. We had schools like Mario Carrillo, Montgomery and Santa Rosa that had the trail systems available and we had a regional park with 4 miles or so of hilly trails. My attitude back to them was how did Jim Ryun become what he did living in Kansas??? The other issues were the older kids and their thoughts on training and working hard, which included summer training and track participation. Basically become year round runners. I had kids who were afraid of that and some parents tried to run me out of town saying I demanded too much and made them work hard. (It would not be that far out of town because I live 1/4 mile from the school). Fortunately a wonderful Principal and Athletic Director who had belief in me and the transition they saw, gave me the support I needed to adjust the new attitude. I had asked for 3-5 years to get this thing off the ground my way. They supported that. I would not compromise my integrity and belief in what needed to happen. I would quit coaching before that.

4) Can you identify a runner or runners that raised the level of Petaluma Cross Country?
Without question after year one a young man stepped up and bought the package I was selling. Jason Grubb. He brought leadership and attitude from mental preparation, to training and racing that raised the bar. We also had the amazing group of young freshman Sterling Lockert, Brandon Felipe and Benjamin Stern along with second year runner Cole Yungert that became students and believers in what we were doing. They listened and trained and brought the attitude I was looking for to our program.

5) In terms of all the accomplishments from last year, did you feel like the team reached all of your goals? Their own goals?
Without question we accomplished our goals as a team and more. Our pre-season goals were to win the League crown, win the NCS meet and place top 10 at State. We had been 13 the year before. The boys said to me they wanted top 5. I did not discourage that but thought it lofty. They sure proved me wrong. Regarding their own goals I think they were young and really thought more team oriented. I think they really believed they could break the Spring Lake course record. With no competition at our league finals we fell short. However, yesterday we did it!

6) How are you dealing with all the expectations for this year's team?
How are the runners handling it?
Honestly, I do feel some pressure. I really believe that these kids could do something memorable this year. I also realize how long the season is and how important it is to train and peak well. I believe the system is in place for that to happen. We want to be our best come November. The rankings and hoopla this time of year to me means nothing. It is nice but we have seen the fall of many come November.

When I think of how proud I am of these young men nothing moves me more then their growth as young adults. This year I have been stunned that these young boys are now young men. They have matured beyond their years. They are confident, relaxed, and training well. They are excited at the prospect of the year to come. Our first race of the year we ran okay. Some boys were a little flat from training. What amazed me was the confidence they had in being aware of that fact and the attitude that they know we will be our best at the right time.

7) Does the team go to a summer camp? How often did they get to train together over the summer?
Yes we go to the Tahoe Donner area each year. Almost everyday they train together. The boys are close and they met together most week nights and weekends. It is made very clear to our athletes that the returning members to our team are expected to be at a certain level. They are given summer training programs. Practice schedule and workouts for the season are out in early July. They know what’s coming from Varsity to JV. They know they better be ready.

8) Do you consider your program to be low, medium or high mileage program?
This is one of those secrets. What I will say is I do not believe high mileage at high school level is the end all. I believe in progressive training over their years with us. Our Varsity boys for the first time ran a good amount this summer but their bodies were ready. To some it may seem high to others low. Each year our training goes up for each runner. I would say all in all were probably upper middle of the road but very consistent. Mileage is important, so is quality but most important is a healthy, confident high school kid not run into the ground.

9) Describe your training routes around your school? Do you stay mostly on the roads? Trails? Do you do track workouts during cross country season?
Shorter runs are done around residential areas. These are road runs. We are 10 minutes from our park trail system. I would say at least half our runs are on trails. It amazes me that the 4 miles of trails we have cover what we need to accomplish all our types of training. Yes we repeat some of our longer runs and workouts over the same soil but that develops toughness. We have a time trial course around the school. The only "track workouts" we do is some tail end of the season speed training. Otherwise workouts are around campus and on trails.

10) Have you seen the size of your team increase following the success of your past teams?
No doubt. Petaluma has historically drawn only 18-20 kids. This year we are at 36 kids. 26 of these are boys. This is the biggest team by far in school history. The one area that is hurting is in our girls ranks. I have worked hard to recruit girls. It is my one let down. We won two championships my first two years with only 7-8 girls. This year numbers are up and we are at 10. I think we are making good in roads in the school and I sense the girls program will be on the rise over the next couple of years. I also think we have girls now who want to compete and are eager to recruit. I think the next couple of years could be exciting for our girls. My daughter arrives in two years and she is already recruiting.

11) Describe last year's NCS race. Eureka gave your team quite a battle. Was that expected? Going into the race, who did you feel was your team's closest competitor?
I believe we ran a very good race. If you would have told me in advance of the times we would run that day and said would you take it, I would say yes!! I also would have thought a very convincing win. However, Eureka had a stellar day. They absolutely ran incredible. I did not expect it in the scouting I had done. I knew two could break our first five but did not see the next three guys. I felt De La Salle would be competitive. I also had attended the NBL Finals the week before and Montgomery had run unbelievable against Mario Carrillo in their finals. We ran the NCS meet at the hottest point of the day and I think both us and Eureka had two of the fastest team times of the day. So it ended fairly close.

12) If there is anything else you would like to add.
I began coaching because I believed I could make a difference in young people’s lives. The influence of my high school coaches left such an impact in my life I always felt a day would come I could return the gift. Kids respond to discipline, knowing their loved and the knowledge that someone believes in them and is going to make them work to their potential. I think more than miles and workouts the most overlooked aspect is the emotional and mental aspect of training kids. I truly believe this has been the heart of some success I have had. My heart is the place I come from and kids respond to that. I drill into the kids I coach that being the best you can be is what this is all about. Failure only happens at a personal level and relates to not being the best you can be. My emotional moments in this sport( I am very emotional!!) come from seeing kids achieve their potential no matter how small or great it is and watching the athletes I have had become productive and confident adults. High school athletics is the ultimate life experience. What a gift to be a part of that and have an impact in young people’s lives!!!

Thank you again Jim.

California Cross Country Newspaper Coverage

High School
•Running with fire Philip MacQuitty and Palo Alto XC
•Lodi, Tokay cross country teams sweep competition
• Prep: Cross country Preview capsules (MCAL)
•No surprises in first SVC x-country meet
•Prep Roundup: Novato's Olson cracks county's cross country top 10
•Arcata, Eureka win at Sequoia Park
•DFAL and BCL East Results
•DFAL Results (Scroll Down)
•Hamilton third at prestigious East Bay meet
•Deer Valley Results from Oregon Meet
•SJS Results on Sac Bee

College
•Former straggler becomes team leader
•Butte Cross Country Preview: Matz looks to be key returner

NCS Best Male Cross Country Runner

Just curious with the poll to the right. I see 3 votes for other. Who did I miss for best male distance runner in NCS?

North Coast Section (NCS) Rankings #2

Here are the 2nd edition of the NCS Rankings after 4 weeks of racing. Some teams have been very busy racing up and down the coast while other teams are keeping a low profile. Feel free to comment on the rankings below.
Division I Boys
1) Amador Valley-Most complete team in Division I so far this season. Impressive 2nd at DLS/Carondelet Nike Invitational.
2) Monte Vista-2nd to Skyline at Ed Sias without #1 runner. 6th at DLS/Car Invite without #2 runner. 1-6 back from last year.
3) Castro Valley-Tough duo up front (Leng and Fazzio) with talented freshman #4. With strong 5th could run with anybody.
Really strong division this year. With NCS only sending 2 teams to state meet, some very good teams are going to be left home during Thanksgiving weekend. Teams right on the cusp: College Park, San Ramon Valley, Foothill, Granada, Liberty and Deer Valley.
Division I Girls
1) Castro Valley-Ran close race to Carondelet at Ed Sias. As long as they stay healthy, will be very tough to beat.
2) College Park-Alycia Cridebring leads the way. 3rd place finish at DLS/Car Invite with F/S taking 1st. Close 1 point loss to Campolindo in first DFAL meet.
3) Granada-Finished in 4th place at DLS/Car Invite. Returns 2-5 from last year's 3rd place NCS Div. I team.
Division II Boys
1) Petaluma-#1 ranked team in Norther California. Everybody is back from 5th place state team. Broke Spring Lake Park team record which dated back to 1988.
2) De La Salle-Strong team with five runners under 17 minutes at own invitational.
3) Santa Rosa/Montgomery-Toss up between these two teams. Santa Rosa has upper hand over Montgomery so far but Montgomery missing a runner at each meet.
Division II Girls
1) Carondelet-Everybody back for defending division II team. Hood is running better than ever.
2) Santa Rosa-2nd at Panther Preview, 4th at Ed Sias. Top 5 back from last year's 5th place NCS Division II team.
3) Casa Grande-3rd at Panther Preview. Jacque Taylor, one of state's finest leads way. Upper hand over Montgomery so far this season.

Division III Boys
1) Maria Carrillo-Best team so far in the early season with Nate Huckeba leading the way.
2) Las Lomas-Two race results so far (Earlybird and 1st DFAL meet) and can boast a talented runner at each grade level. Could be team to beat at the end of the season.
3) Campolindo-Still putting it together so far but will be there at the end.
On the cusp: Acalanes with talented lead runner, Beach, will have plenty of opportunities to knock off DFAL opponents (Las Lomas and Campo).
Division III Girls
1) Maria Carrillo-With Curtin twins running xc this year, haven't missed a beat. Won Panther Preview and Ed Sias.
2) Campolindo-Laurie Finnegan is defending NCS Div III champion. Campo had nice win in first DFAL meet defeating College Park and Las Lomas.
3) Redwood-Team has been impressive early with solid 1-5 pack at the Stinson Beach Relays and league meet. Lowell Invitational this Saturday will be good test for them.

Division IV Boys (Toughest division to call...teams here definitely keep a low profile).
1) St. Mary's-Defending NCS Div. IV champions. Duffy is back with talented group behind him.
2) Moreau Catholic-Brian Fix leads the way for perennial NCS Div. IV contender.
3) Piedmont-Showed there is still life in this program at the Farmer Invitational.
Division IV Girls
1) St. Mary's-Very impressive at Ed Sias and Farmer's Invitational. Team to beat at this moment.
2) Arcata-Won first league meet with Allie Maher leading the way.
3) Piedmont-Didn't run everybody at Farmer but will be there at the end. Defending champions.

Division V Boys1) College Prep-Defending NCS Division V champions. Not quite at full health right now but still very solid team.
2) Berean Christian-Close loss to CPS in first BCL East meet. 9th at Ed Sias in Small School race but top Div. 5 team.
3) SF University-Haven't been able to race everybody together yet but history says they are at least top 3.
Stuart Hall is going to be a sleeper this year. Watch out for them.
Division V Girls
1) Crystal Springs Uplands-2 time defending NCS champions. Started season going 1-5 at first BCL meet
2) SF University-Young runners ran well during track season. Could challenge CSU if Cecilia Furlong skips volleyball to run xc.
3) Marin Academy-Alesandra Roger is back after back injury in track. Team ran well at Stinson Beach Relays.
College Prep is going to be very good this year as well with talented freshman (Adrienne Strait). Tough to tell how good with no competition in 1st meet.

Don't forget to keep voting in the poll to the right. Who is the best male runner in NCS?

Top 5 individuals (girls and boys) in each division will be posted shortly.

NCS Rankings on the way...

I will post the top 3 teams in each division Thursday morning. If you have any last minute information of any teams, please feel free to comment below or email me at acaru@csus.com.

Who are the season's biggest surprises so far? If you had to name the top 5 teams in NCS, regardless of division, who would they be? What NCS teams belong on the state's top 10 list?

Thank you to all of you that have expressed your opinion on this blog. It's important to get different perspectives for better rankings. Thank you also to all of you that posted your weekly mileage in the poll to the right. New poll will be posted shortly once this one closes in a few hours.

Norcal Rankings #2

Below is the 2nd installment of the top 10 Norcal (CCS, NCS, NS, OAK, SF and SJS) teams and individuals for boys and girls. It's still early in the season but teams are already starting to position themselves before we head to the best litmus test in Northern California cross country, the Stanford Invitational. The list will be updated throughout the season leading up to the California state meet.

Boys .................................................Girls
1) Petaluma NCS.................................1) Carondelet NCS
2) Jesuit SJS.......................................2) Davis Sr. SJS
3) Davis Sr. SJS...................................3) Ponderosa SJS
4) Carlmont CCS.................................4) Carlmont CCS
5) Woodcreek SJS...............................5) Castro Valley NCS
6) Willow Glen CCS............................6) St. Francis, Sacramento SJS
7) Amador Valley NCS.........................7) Del Oro SJS
8) Oak Ridge SJS................................8) Placer SJS
9) Aptos CCS.......................................9) St. Ignatius CCS
10) Skyline OAK................................10) Mt. View CCS
Honorable Mention (5 teams added in no particular order)
Del Campo SJS....................................Maria Carrillo NCS
Maria Carrillo NCS..............................Mt. Shasta NS
De La Salle NCS...................................Aptos CCS
North Monterey County CCS..................North Monterey County CCS
Las Lomas NCS....................................Gunn CCS

Boys' Individuals
1) German Fernandez (12) Riverbank SJS
2) Mohammed Abdalla (12) Willow Glen CCS
3) Brad Surh (12) Carlmont CCS
4) Philip MacQuitty (10) Palo Alto CCS
5) James Tracy (12) Del Campo SJS
6) Nate Beach (12) Acalanes NCS
7) James Attarian (12) Dublin NCS
8) Diego Estrada (12) Alisal CCS
9) Tyre Johnson (11) Palma CCS
10) Matt Duffy (12) St. Mary's College NCS

Girls' Individual
1) Laurynne Chetelet (12) Davis Sr. SJS
2) Jacque Taylor (10) Casa Grande NCS
3) Nicole Hood (10) Carondelet NCS
4) Justine Fedronic (11) Carlmont CCS
5) Diana George (11) Livermore NCS
6) Katy Daly (11) St. Ignatius CCS
7) Rebecca Habtamu (12) Prospect CCS
8) Deborah Maier (12) Ponderosa SJS
9) Samantha Hamilton (10) Half Moon Bay CCS
10) Stephanie Barnett (11) Leland CCS

Feel free to comment on the list above. If you feel that a team or individual is missing or should be higher up on the list, please let me know. If you don't want your comment to be made public, you can email me at acaru@csus.com

Only three days left to vote in the poll to the right.

Newspaper Coverage including weekend meets

•Beach, Hood go the distance at Invitational
•Petaluma boys win Nike Invitational
•Skyline XC at Nike Invitational (scroll to bottom)
•These Wolves also roam in packs
•Prep cross country: Redwood girls start season well with Stinson Beach win

New NCS and Norcal Rankings coming soon...

After the flurry of races this past week (including today), I will have newly updated rankings for both the NCS and Norcal (CCS, NCS, NO, OAK, SF and SJS) posted by early next week. Some teams are making early statements while some are still putting it together. It's still early but cross country is a short season so don't blink.

Any input on the coming rankings? Who belongs on the top 10 Norcal list? You can view the first edition at this link. Who are the new favorites for NCS titles? Who have been the most impressive runners so far?

Also, don't forget to vote in the poll to the right. How much mileage are you putting in at this point in the season?

More Newspaper Coverage

From SF Chronicle:
CROSS COUNTRY Highly Rated Carondelet girls try to make it 2 in a row

From Contra Costa Times:
Foothill cross country running strong

From The Paly Voice:
Cross Country boys return with exceptional amount of talent