Gilroy’s lone representative at state finishes 76th overall
Fresno – For the first Gilroy girl to advance to the CIF State Cross Country Championships in at least a decade, Kathleen Miller had a good day Saturday.
Miller, the fourth-place finisher at the Central Coast Section meet two weeks ago, ran the 3.1-mile Woodward Park course in 19 minutes, 40 seconds and finished 76th in the Division I race.
“I was trying to start faster but I ended up getting caught in the pack,” Miller said. “It was a tough race but it was good for the first time.”
Coach Art Silva said he believes Miller is the first Gilroy girl in about 15 years to reach the state meet.
“And she’s still got two more years to go,” Silva said.
As a sophomore, Miller hopes this isn’t her last appearance at the state meet and she can use this experience as motivation for a return trip.
“It’s going to be a good memory,” Miller said.
Being the only runner from Gilroy added another tough dimension, making it harder to find a friendly face to run with.
“It’s much, much different because you’re pretty much alone,” Miller said, adding that she hopes to share her experience with the team in hopes that it can qualify along with her next season.
Other local finishers included San Benito senior Rigo Vasquez, whose time of 16:23 in the Division I boys race was also good for 76th place.
“I had a perfect start, but there were too many people running my pace,” Vasquez said. “I’m satisfied. I still got a good time for this course.”
The ‘Balers girls team, racing at the state meet for the first time, finished 19th in the Division I girls race.
Sophomore Courtney Allen paced San Benito with a time of 20:04.
“We’re just happy to be here,” girls coach Josh Morales said. “Placing in the top-10 would’ve been nice, but it was a tough day. These are the fastest runners in the state.”
Sobrato’s Lance Wolfsmith had the best day among local runners. He had a season-best time of 15:49 and took ninth in the Division III boys race.
“As a sophomore, for him to be in the top-10 is incredible,” coach and father Dave Wolfsmith said. “There’s so many good guys in the top-50.”
The Sobrato girls team also competed in the state meet for the first time and took 21st. Junior Abhi Devaraj was the top finisher at 20:21.
