Gilroy’s cross-country teams have been keeping a pace of late
that has left opponents with the bitter taste of dust and
defeat.
Gilroy’s cross-country teams have been keeping a pace of late that has left opponents with the bitter taste of dust and defeat.
The varsity boys and girls outran Palma and Notre Dame, respectively, at a duel meet on Monday, following up a record-setting Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.
“It wasn’t something that was to be expected so our boy and girls really pulled through,” GHS coach Cathy Silva said.
The boys pulled off the 27-28 upset of Palma, overcoming the efforts of one of the premiere runners in the section through a strong overall performance. Derek Pesta took second in a time of 17 minutes, 14 seconds. He was followed by Augustine Serafio (17:48), Juan Velasquez (18:04) and Tim Williams (18:15).
By having a stronger core in the front of the pack, the Mustangs were able to overcome Palma’s Tyre Johnson, who finished first in the 5k with a swift mark of 16:18. The team win moves Gilroy (4-1) into a tie with San Benito for second place in the Tri-County Athletic League, just behind Salinas.
The girls helped their chances of taking home a TCAL title by defeating Notre Dame 18-39. The win gives the girls a 5-0 record and a great chance to make history.
“We have one more race to go. That’s Hollister for league,” Silva said. “It’s looking really promising for the girls to finish first in league, which would be the first time in 22 years.”
Kathleen Miller “ran a really strong race,” according to Silva, taking first in 19:47. She was followed by Jessica Hopf (20:08), Paty Hernandez (20:21) and Brandie Rodriguez (20:59), who finished second, third and fourth, respectively.
Competing in the Clovis Invitational on Saturday, almost every runner on the varsity level set or came close to a personal record. Coach Silva said the course was slightly longer than local parks such as Toro or Christmas Hill, but a flatter path led to faster times.
The girls took 10th out of 25 participating schools, finishing first out of all Central Coast Section teams. The Mustangs had two top-25 runners in Miller (15th, 19:24) and Hopf (25th, 19:34), who were awarded medals for their placement. Hernandez (19:38) and Anne Donahoe (20:24) also finished high, while setting new personal records.
Senior team captain Kristina Schmidt demolished her personal best by a minute, finishing the course in 22:24.
The boys did exceptionally well too, taking 14th out of 24 teams while showcasing several career days.
Pesta placed 22nd out of 178 runners in 16:37, Velasquez “ran his best race” of the season with a time of 17:22 and Matt Sosa (17:53) and Williams (17:55) rounded out the group of record-setters.
“Saturday was so much fun with them,” Silva said. “They had a great time.”
Frosh-Soph and JV Note: The frosh-soph boys stayed undefeated in the TCAL by winning their meet with Palma 19-42 on Monday. Gabino Ramirez (19:26) and Brandon Sumida (19:41) led the pack. The junior varsity girls bested Notre Dame 17-38, with Mari Olmos (23:13) and Kristy Pineda (23:39) producing the top two times for GHS.
