If it were up to Tyler Stover, next year would be here and his cross country team would be the one to beat.
Instead, Saturday at Irvine Regional Park would be a cakewalk having already pushed its limits.
Although Stover is confident that he and his teammates will eventually be the No.1 team, his coach, Dean Lofgren, believes the team is “very good this year and they’re getting better,” he said.
“You see, we’re all freshmen except for Kendall (Lopez) and a couple of others, and look at what we’re doing,” Stover said.
Now the team is whole with Jason Hanakeawe, who had a right foot injury, came back on team two weeks ago. The team that had been successful for three races without him now has the confidence that it will be even better.
In preparation for Saturday’s Irvine Invitational, or what is also dubbed the South Coast Conference preview, the team last week trained at the local El Porto Hills and Columbia Park.
Hanakeawe said his right foot is responding well during conditioning. It does, however, flare up during practices, he said.
He’s gradually returning to the form he had at Mira Costa that made him the best in three-miler in Southern California, Lofgren said.
“I haven’t raced in six months, but I’m on my way to being fit for real-time racing condition,” Hanakeawe said. “I’ll be there pretty soon. This next race I’m going to try to be in the top five.”
Hanakeawe also said during those practices he was tailing Bill Rogers and Stover, who are both jockeying for the top spot on the team. So far, Rogers is secured there.
“He gets in my head,” Stover said of Rogers. “It’s a healthy competition.”
“I tell Bill ‘You wanna beat me; I wanna beat you, so that will put us farther up in the race.’ The difference is he has a stronger kick.”
So in three races, the team has placed third twice — the Cuesta Invite and the Golden West Invite – and has placed second once – the Ventura Invite, and continues to reduce the gap between its first place and fifth place finishers.
At Golden West, the gap was 42 seconds. The week before was a season-low 24 seconds.
Following a week off from competition and despite the runners’ willingness to do so, Lofgren said that they would “take it cautious and keep a little in the bank.”
“We need to save some mentally and physically. What people don’t realize is that this is a grueling sport. Some get in and can’t take it. Some stay and enjoy it,” Matt Van Diepen said.
After the Irvine Invitational, the Warriors will have a busy week, as they will participate in back-to-back meets.
Next Friday, the men’s cross country team will travel to the Mt. SAC Invite. The event is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
The folowing day it will compete in the Santa Barbara Invite.
