Facing some of the top competi-
tion in the state, the men and women’s
cross-country teams fared admirably
at the Orange Coast Classic last Sat-
urday, coach Dean Lofgren said.
The men’s team placed fourth
overall in a field of 25, with six of the
top eight teams in Southern Califor-
nia competing.
Top runners Jose Lezama and
David Cardona led the pack of 225,
finishing in first and third place re-
spectively.
The men’s team rounded out in the
top 100 with sophomore Rio Enom-
oto in 34th, freshman Jimi Duffin in
38th, freshman Ryan Noro in 62nd,
sophomore Joey Bianchi in 67th, and
sophomore Noah Lopez in 72nd.
“Jose and David ran tremendously
well,” Lofgren said. “However, there
was too big of a gap between the top
runners and bottom runners.”
Lofgren said he believes the gap
to be the result of a mix of experience
and conditioning.
He added that with two months
before the state championships, the
men’s team is making progress and
gradually getting to where they need
to be.
“We’re pretty darn good right
now,” Lofgren said. “Orange Coast
College might be tapped out already,
but I think as the meets progress we
will get better.”
Lofgren’s presence and leader-
ship is evident among the members
of the team, as number two runner,
Cardona, said,
Despite a few injury problems
that have occurred this season, Lof-
gren has been teaching Cardona the
necessary skills in order to perform
in the competitive field.
“The race felt really good; (Jose
and I) worked as a team and finished
well,” Cardona said.
The women’s cross-country team
finished 14th in a field of 24 teams.
Rebecca Caracoza finished 18th
overall in a field of 176, with a time
of 20:06.
“Overall though, the team ran
conservatively, as we’re nursing a few
injuries, but I’d say they ran better
than they did in their season opener
last week.”
Naomi Altamirano, the women’s
top runner from last season, made
her debut on a last-minute decision
based upon her calf injury.
“Naomi talked us into running,”
Lofgren said. “She said her calf was
feeling good, but promised us to run
at a steady pace and not overdo her-
self.”
Altimirano finished 72nd.
“We have a couple of developing
girls,” Lofgren said.
He added that the team as a
whole has potential.
“We have two months to get
where we need to be. This isn’t a re-
ally strong season for the women’s
team, but they could develop into a
solid squad by the end of the sea-
son.”
On Friday, the men and wom-
en’s cross-country team take on the
Golden West Invitational in Hun-
tington Beach before taking a bye
next week.
“This meet will be the fourth
weekend in a row in which we’ve
run,” Lofgren said. “It’s pretty hard
to run every week with the intensity
involved in each without taking at
least a week off, but I think we havone more good race in us.”