Top runner freshman Jose Lezama has once again came out on top of the field, with a finishing time of 20:04 at the Golden West Invitational, on Sept. 25, where the men’s cross-country finished third-place overall.
The time placed Lezama second on the all-time course list, just a second behind Art Diaz’s time who ran for EC in 2001.
He was one of the best runners in the state coming out of high school,” coach Dean Lofgren said.
Following closely behind was freshman David Cardona who finished fifth in the field of 196 runners. The one-two punch of Lezama and Cardona is proving to be a vital source of production for the men’s team, as returning runners such as sophomores Rio Enomoto and Noah Lopez look to regain their form from last season.
The gap, however, is beginning to close as freshman Jimi Duffin finished 22nd with a time of 21:26 and Enomoto finished 30th, with a time of 21:40.
“We’re looking much better,” Lofgren said. “We’re slowly tightening up and we hope as we get tighter, other teams will start to spread out.”
The fifth-ranked team took a bye last weekend, in preparation for the upcoming Irvine Invitational, which will be held on Sat. October 10 at Irvine Regional Park and will mark the beginning of the second-half of the season, Rebecca Caracoza continues to lead the women’s cross-country team, placing 14th in the 167-runners field on Friday Sept. 25, a the Golden West Invitational. Caracoza finished with a time of 19:58, earning her seventh place on EC’s all-time list for the 3.1-mile course.
“Rebecca has been our leader this season,” Lofgren said. “She has provided a lot of support for the team and is producing well.”
The women’s team also took a bye last weekend and will join the men in the Irvine Invitational on Saturday.