With four runners finishing in the top 35, the women’s cross country team placed third at the Fresno State Championship meet on Nov. 17.
EC went in ranked fourth but its 153 points were enough to move up into the third spot, behind Glendale and Orange Coast who finished first and second respectively.
“They did what they knew they could do all year,” coach Dean Lofgren said. “We knew we were close for third at the end of the race and when they announced us in third, the women got very excited.”
EC’s top five were: sophomore Megan Adams, 17th, 19:21; sophomore Gabriela Rubi, 21st, 19:26; sophomore Kirsten Adams, 24th, 19:28; freshman Courtney Stephens, 31st, 19:36 and freshman Rebecca Caracoza, 110th, 21:21.
The 15-second time differential between the Warrior’s top four helped the team take third in front of conference rival Cerritos who finished in fourth place with 176 points.
“Our top four managed to run tight enough as a group on the day that counted and that really helped and catapulted us into third place,” Lofgren said. “The whole team stepped up and ran solidly.”
In addition to finishing in the top five in the state, the women finished higher than teams like Southwestern, fifth; Mt. SAC, sixth, whom they had lost to in previous meets during the season.
“Southwestern was in front of us all year and they dropped to fifth place,” Lofgren said. “Mt. SAC beat us soundly in the beginning of the season and they fell back as well. We are happy it was them and not us.”
With the season over, there is time to think about
Of the 23 teams at the meet, the top 14 were from Southern California while first place Glendale had its top five runners finish in the top 20, showcasing the competitiveness of teams in the region. The only team from Northern California to break into the 15 was American River with 412 points.
“To walk away third place in the state is a very big accomplishment,” Lofgren said. “We couldn’t have asked for more; the women ran well all year.”