John Goldman, head coach for both men’s and women’s cross country teams, is confident both teams will qualify for the state championships at this week’s race, the Southern California Championships at Mission Bay Park in San Diego on Friday.
“Let the chips fall where they may, we’ll be alright,” Goldman said.
The women’s team has placed in the top five at six out of seven races this season, including last Friday’s South Coast Championships at Mount San Antonio College, where it placed third with a team score of 83 points behind LA Trade Tech with 28 points and Mt. SAC with 46 points.
The men’s team has placed in the top five at four out of seven races this season and is looking to bounce back from an uncharacteristic sixth-place, 144-point finish at last Friday’s race, coming in 13 points above last-place-finisher East Los Angeles College.
Illness and injuries took a toll on two of the usual top three runners, freshmen Joey Moreno and Robert Duran, who finished 42nd and 51st, respectively, and affected the men’s momentum.
Sophomore runner Sandra Flores, one of Cerritos’ women’s top three runners, placed tenth with a time of 19:47, and attributes the Falcons’ success to teamwork, which led to proper packing.
After performing better than expected, Flores and the other women are staying focused for the remainder of the season.
“We have two of the biggest races coming up and we need to stay prepared mentally and physically,” she said.
Sophomore runner Gabriel Hilbert, the Falcons’ No. 1 runner, earned First Team All-Conference honors at the South Coast Championships for finishing seventh with a time of 21:48, and is encouraging his teammates to think positive for this Friday’s race.
“We’ll get our heads straight and come back strong. We’re getting really serious for SoCal. What happened at the last race is in the past and we just need to move on.”
In the rankings:
The women’s team moved down a spot in the southern regional rankings from No. 8 to No. 9 after last Friday’s South Coast Championships. The men also dropped a spot from No. 11 to No. 12. Both teams are now looking to qualify for the Nov. 20 State Championships by placing in the top ____ at this Friday’s Southern California Championships.
