Facing the best can sometimes bring out the best in a
competitor.
Such was the case Saturday as six out of seven Gilroy High
girls’ cross country runners set personal records in perfect
running conditions at the Division I State Championship meet held
at Woodward Park in Fresno. In the process, the Mustangs took 16th
place as a team in the Division I race, good enough for 37th
overall out of the 114 teams in attendance.
FRESNO – Facing the best can sometimes bring out the best in a competitor.
Such was the case Saturday as six out of seven Gilroy High girls’ cross country runners set personal records in perfect running conditions at the Division I State Championship meet held at Woodward Park in Fresno. In the process, the Mustangs took 16th place as a team in the Division I race, good enough for 37th overall out of the 114 teams in attendance.
The successful showing at state served as icing on the cake considering just being allowed to participate in the season-ending race was history in itself. No GHS cross country squad, boys or girls, had ever participated in the state meet before Saturday.
“I was figuring right around 15, so I was pretty close there,” said Gilroy coach Art Silva, adding that foggy conditions cleared up just in time for the start of the race.
“It turned out to be a beautiful day to run.”
The meet also served as a successful conclusion to two high school careers. While two freshmen and three juniors were critical to the team’s success this year, Silva dates the foundation of the program to 2005. Seniors Kathleen Miller and Christine Bobula finished what they started as freshmen by helping their school set a new gold standard in achievement.
“Really, that’s when we started actually growing as a team, when we got those two,” Silva said. “Miller has been our No. 1 runner since the end of her freshman year.”
Making her third straight appearance at Woodward, Miller finished first among all Mustangs with a time of 18 minutes, 40 seconds. The mark was good for 34th, roughly the same spot Miller claimed in last year’s race. In 2007, she crossed the finish line in 18:38 for 31st. Miller took 75th in 2006 with a time of 19:40.
Silva thought the tension of being in the state race for the final time might have affected Miller’s time, while some of his other runners were looser because of less expectations.
“She was pretty nervous because she was figuring this is a pretty big part of her life, and a lot of the college coaches were there,” Silva said. “Paty (Hernandez) put it best. She wasn’t really nervous or stressed, she was just excited about the race. Miller was a little more nervous.
“She always gives it her all, though, and that’s all you can ask of the kids.”
Freshman Athena Alarcon was second among all GHS runners with a time of 19:22, good for 85th, while Hernandez, a junior, came in 106th with a time of 19:40. Gilroy’s top three were followed by freshman Savanna Silacci (20:03, 129th), Bobula (20:20, 142), junior Brandie Rodriguez (20:28, 148) and junior Anne Donahoe (21:48, 178).
With Miller and Bobula moving on after this year, one would think Gilroy’s cross country program will be taking a hit in the coming years. Not so, says Silva.
“I think we actually could get a little bit better,” he said.
The times set by Alarcon, Hernandez and Silacci on Saturday were all personal records. Taking into respect that Woodward is about .05 miles longer than the Mustangs’ normal courses – Crystal Springs and Christmas Hill – the marks are made even more remarkable.
Bobula, Donahoe and Rodriguez also set PRs for a true 5-kilometer race, making the latter two crucial contributors to another hopeful state run next year.
Freshman Maritza Ruelas, who was impressive at the junior varsity level this season, should be a key runner for next season as well.
“We have most of the pieces to the puzzle,” Silva said. “We just need one or two more.”
