Distance runners going strong / Area's boys and girls cross country teams have a banner year
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The climate is ideal, the terrain rugged and challenging, and the interest keen.
All signs point to dream conditions for long-distance runners in San Francisco.
With that said, University High cross country coach Jim Tracy points out that the 2004 season for local high schools has been close to spectacular.
With the postseason hitting full stride this week -- the Central Coast Section championships are Saturday in Salinas -- it can get even better.
"From all the results I've seen and all the teams and runners I've witnessed, this is one of the strongest years the city has ever seen," Tracy said.
And Tracy knows strong.
His girls team, ranked No. 1 in the state, have won a record six state Division V titles, including 2003. His boys team, ranked fourth in the state, have earned nine North Coast Section crowns.
Last week, University's boys placed the top four and five of six finishers in the Bay Counties League West races at Golden Gate Park. Senior Robbie Hagbom won in 17 minutes, 49 seconds followed by junior Sam Steyer (17:51), freshman Parker Brown (17:53) and senior Bremmer Morris (17:55). Lick-Wilmerding's Alex Wu broke up the pack by placing fifth in 17:56.
University won with 16 points compared with 68 for Crystal Springs and 70 for Lick-Wilmerding. The male Red Devils are seeking their first state title.
University's girls, fighting through what Tracy called a "mountain of injuries" earlier in the year, won with 28 points, followed by Lick-Wilmerding (67), Crystal Springs (76) and Marin Academy (83), which claimed the individual champion in freshman sensation Alesandra Roger (19:42).
She was followed by the University trio of Grace Hunter (20:11), Andrea Imhof (20:31) and Elyse Lipman (20:37).
University has a week off to prepare for the NCS Championships Nov. 13 at Hayward High.
"The boys and girls are at the top of their game," Tracy said of his team. "The boys are perfectly healthy and the girls are 90 percent so. We're gearing everything toward the state meet so we're training hard."
University is far from lone successful team in San Francisco.
St. Ignatius' girls won the West Catholic Athletic League championship last week at the 2.95-mile Crystal Springs course in Belmont. The Wildcats finished with 34 points to 54 for Archbishop Mitty and 83 for Sacred Heart Cathedral.
St. Ignatius senior Ciara Viehweg won the individual championship in 17:48, easing to the title over Mitty's Mckayla Plank (17:59). St. Ignatius, the defending CCS champion which finished eighth at state last year, also had top 10 finishes from Zoe Unruh (fourth, 19:10), Meghan Mullen (sixth, 19:22) and Brianna Loughridge (eighth, 19:30).
Sacred Heart's third-place finish was outstanding considering it lost its top runner, Melanie Scannell, early this season with a broken leg.
Seniors Rachel Giovannetti (10th, 19:42) and Natalie Martinez (11th, 19:42), along with freshman Jaclyn Flynn (12th, 19:45) set the pace for the Irish.
"St. Ignatius is definitely the favorite (at CCS), but Sacred Heart has an outside shot to make it to state," Tracy said.
In the boys WCAL race, St. Ignatius was third with 58 points behind St. Francis and Serra (44 each), while Sacred Heart Cathedral was sixth (158) and Archbishop Riordan seventh (175).
"St. Ignatius will contend for a state spot," Tracy said. "Even though Sacred Heart placed sixth, this is one of their best teams in years. Riordan also is vastly improved."
The St. Ignatius trio of Paul Nedeau (15:38), Nicholas Alvarado (16:00) and Robert Alvarado (16:02), finished third, fifth and sixth, respectively. Nicholas Cannata-Bowman (13th, 16:27) was the top finisher for Sacred Heart Cathedral and Alejandro Murillo (28th, 17:01) was No. 1 for Riordan.
"That is a very tough, tough league," Tracy said.
The best public school continues to be Lowell, which goes for a San Francisco Section title Wednesday at Golden Gate Park. The girls race starts at 2:30 p.m. followed by the boys at 3:15 p.m.
Lowell's girls have won every section championship since the sport's inception in 1977, while the boys have won 15 of the last 17 crowns. Lincoln broke Lowell's boys streak of eight straight titles last year. Lowell's boys are led by Johnny Yu and Agustin Feliciano.
"That's going to be huge motivation for Lowell this year," Tracy said.
Lowell's girls team is one of its best in years, proven by a championship at the Lincoln Invitational in Lodi on Oct. 23.
Anna Li and Alexis Kim placed seventh and eighth, respectively, that weekend and figure to finish at the top of the San Francisco Section meet. Other top runners for Lowell are Susanna Liu, Jaimie Ng and Heather Hammel.
Tracy said strong dedication from longtime coaches Andy Chan (Sacred Heart), Andy Leong (Lowell), along with Kevin Grady and Elizabeth Gustorf (St. Ignatius), among others, is also key in the area's success.