Girls return many, boys starting from scratch
The Monache boys’ and girls’ cross country teams are looking at the upcoming season from different angles.
The girls’ group returns three of its top four runners from 2008, including senior Kristen Chan, who finished fifth in the EYL.
On the other side, however, is a boys’ team that returns few.
Chan, who placed 20th at the 2008 Valley Championships and ran a personal-best time of 21:09.46, is the runner who coach Brian Cruess thinks has the best chance to make a push for state (top 12 in Valley).
“She’s about one minute ahead of where she was last year,” Cruess said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the same kids are coming back, too.”
Defending champion Tulare Union boasts senior twins Ashley and Hailey Tallon along with sophomore Celina Vargas, who finished second at the EYL Championships last season.
Senior Anna Asuncion and sophomore Alysa Alvarez, who came on strong late last season and finished seventh at the league meet. Behind them, however, Cruess is unsure of what his No. 4 through 7 girls are capable of running.
“I don’t know that I have the depth to go with (Tulare Union and Tulare Western),” Cruess said. “They’ve got a pretty solid top seven; we’re still struggling beyond our top two or three.”
Newcomers Victor Hernandez and Jorge Ceballos are going to be the top two runners on the boys’ team with Sal Escamillo and Dustin Sheldon filling in at No. 3 and 4.
Gone are top runners Ulises Zaragoza and Michael Hernandez along with most of the other runners who donned Monache varsity tank tops in ’08.
“We’re actually ahead of where we were last year,” Cruess said. “It’s a new group and they have good attitudes. Our top two runners are going to be fine, but I’m not sure how our depth will be.”
The Marauders just wrapped up a blue and gold intrasquad race, Friday, but Cruess will get a true feeling for how his team will fare against city and league foes after Monache’s home meet at Bartlett Park, September 10.
“A good measuring stick will be our invitational,” he said. “Most of the teams in our league will be there, so that will give us a pretty good idea of of what I’ve got, what the competition is and what kind of improvements we need to make.”
Depth Concerns
Monache squads may not have enough numbers to battle Tulare giants
2008 record: Boys: 3-3 EYL, Girls: 3-3 EYL
Playoffs: No state qualifiers
Top Returners: Sr. Kristen Chan, sr. Anna Asuncion, soph. Alysa Alvarez
Newcomers: Jr. Victor Hernandez, soph. Jorge
Ceballos, jr. Sal Escamillo, jr. Dustin Sheldon
Departures: Ulises Zaragoza, Parmbir Kahlon,
Michael Hernandez, Erika Cline, Melissa Hernandez, Sam Orozco
Breakout Performer: Anna Asuncion
