2008 Woodie Awards
CROSS COUNTRY: Runner Falls Short From State Final
Only two Monarch runners qualified for Southern California Championships, but fell short of State.
Chris Garcia
Issue date: 11/9/05 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
A false start, solid competition and a bad hamstring helped keep Valley College from sending two of its men's cross country runners to next week's State Finals.
The men's cross country team placed 10th in Western State Conference tournament earlier this month and didn't qualify for Friday's Southern California Championships. However, Valley runners Michael Stotland and Jordan Castellanos made it to Friday's 4-mile race. The event featured 250 of the top runners from Southern California, with the top 25 earning a spot in the state championship.
"These guys have worked hard all year I think they can qualify for the state meet," said men's cross country coach Francois Wolman before the race held at San Diego State University.
As the gun sounded, the Valley co-captains took off at a good pace, only to have officials stop the race after a runner fell at the 400-meter mark. After the restart, Stotland and Castellanos gobbled the flat portion of the course.
"They ran the first mile perfectly," said Wolman, as his runners found their pace. "They did exactly what I told them."
The three leading runners separated from the rest of the pack around the 1-mile mark and dominated the rest of the race. The terrain got a little rough during the second and third miles, which included a rocky-dirt trail, hills, and a ditch, which gave many runners trouble.
Stotland and Castellanos were still close to each other at the halfway mark and the pack started to stretch out. On a steep downhill, Castellanos pulled his hamstring and couldn't keep pace with the pack. During the final mile, Castellanos was struggling due to his injury and Stotland was fighting to stay in the top 25.
Stotland missed the State Finals with a 27-place showing and a time of 23:26. Castellanos's time was 23:43.
"I raced well, smart and I passed a lot of guys," Stotland said. "I gave it everything I had."
The men's cross country team placed 10th in Western State Conference tournament earlier this month and didn't qualify for Friday's Southern California Championships. However, Valley runners Michael Stotland and Jordan Castellanos made it to Friday's 4-mile race. The event featured 250 of the top runners from Southern California, with the top 25 earning a spot in the state championship.
"These guys have worked hard all year I think they can qualify for the state meet," said men's cross country coach Francois Wolman before the race held at San Diego State University.
As the gun sounded, the Valley co-captains took off at a good pace, only to have officials stop the race after a runner fell at the 400-meter mark. After the restart, Stotland and Castellanos gobbled the flat portion of the course.
"They ran the first mile perfectly," said Wolman, as his runners found their pace. "They did exactly what I told them."
The three leading runners separated from the rest of the pack around the 1-mile mark and dominated the rest of the race. The terrain got a little rough during the second and third miles, which included a rocky-dirt trail, hills, and a ditch, which gave many runners trouble.
Stotland and Castellanos were still close to each other at the halfway mark and the pack started to stretch out. On a steep downhill, Castellanos pulled his hamstring and couldn't keep pace with the pack. During the final mile, Castellanos was struggling due to his injury and Stotland was fighting to stay in the top 25.
Stotland missed the State Finals with a 27-place showing and a time of 23:26. Castellanos's time was 23:43.
"I raced well, smart and I passed a lot of guys," Stotland said. "I gave it everything I had."
