Cross Country News

Panthers Remain the Measuring Stick @ BSAL Championships

November 8, 2008

Thursday November 6th was championship day for BSAL cross country runners. For the athletes, the site was Crab Cove Park, the atmosphere was nervously energetic, and the objective was to run your best race of the season. For the runners from Saint Mary’s, this day would also mean “victory”. Individually, the Panthers would sweep the championship medals, winning all four races in which they were entered. More importantly, however, the collective team races earned the Panthers three of the four championship banners awarded by the league. Overall, the day was a historic one in the lore of Saint Mary’s cross country.?

Kellen Asercion (SR) moving up to earn 1st team all-league.

The JV girls set a dominant tone on this crisp, sunny day in Alameda by placing 11 runners in the top 13, seven in the top eight, and having the first four finishers overall. Their 16 point team total was the lowest the league has seen in its eight year history. Leading the way was Daisy Merida, who culminated her outstanding freshman campaign with a fine 15:04 win on the grassy 2.1 mile course. Placing 2nd -4th were fellow 9th graders Izzy Smull (15:18), Mary Harrington (15:29) and Claire Sullivan (16:00). After that, a cavalcade of Panthers stormed towards the finish line. Regina Clincy, Maeva Riley, Zina Foston, and Sara Allison all ran races that prompted coach Mike Smith to smile and say later, “Wow, was that AWESOME or what?”

The JV girls celebrating after their BSAL Championship Race where they would score an unprecedented 15 points, which is equivalent to a perfect game.

Next up was the JV Boys, who came into the meet having been the only team this season with a defeat in a league meet. On this day, however, coach Craig Sutphin’s group would not be denied their first league championship in three years. Led by league champion Jimmy Plain (12:16) and runner-up Duncan Calvert (12:29), the JV Boys scored a mere 23 points to outpace runner –up Encinal by a whopping 71 points! Freshmen Stevie Greene (12:38) and Nate Hill (13:02) joined Jimmy and Duncan as 1st team all-leaguers while sophomore Matt Dull earned 2nd team honors. Alfonso Garcia, Victor Munoz, Jordan Wong, Mike Giuntini, and Kennedy Mesfun also ran tough races for the victorious Panthers. Coach Sutphin, upon hearing the final score, was overheard saying to his team, “ I’m going to spare you guys the clichés and platitudes… you guys rocked! YEAH!!”.?

Jimmy Plain (S0) would dominate the BSAL JV Championship race from start to finish.

In the Varsity division, both girls and boys teams would be crowned league champions for the 2nd and 3rd straight years. Although, the boys would have to share the title with their cross-town rival. The girls, whose dominance over the course of the league season has been unprecedented in the history of the BSAL, continued their run towards sheer brilliance with an utterly overwhelming victory. Led by the dynamic trio of Alex Choy (1st – 18:39), Taylor Lawson (2nd -18:44), and Alice Baker (3rd – 18:47), the girls amassed a league-record low 20 points. Senior Margot Sullivan also ran herself onto the all-league team with a 5th place 19:36. Likewise, Sophomore Annie Woelffer and Junior Hannah Brumbaum captured 2nd team honors with their 9th and 11th place finishes, respectively.? The girls complete dominance of the league and section thus far leaves little doubt in the minds of many that this team will be formidable and hard to beat on Thanksgiving weekend.?

The lady Panthers are out fast with Alex Choy, Alice Baker, and Taylor Lawson.

The boys, conversely, limped into Crab Cove with only five mostly-healthy runners. The injury bug certainly has found its way into the Panther boys locker room, making this league championship race especially tough. Led by 3 first team all-league selections, including eventual winner Dan Maxwell (course record 15:48) and 3rd placer Tony Levine (16:27), the boys made a valiant effort to win the league crown outright. Unfortunately, their 35 point total fell one point shy as rival Albany scored 34 to share the league title for the first time ever. Senior Kellen Asercion was the 3rd all-league performer, placing 6th in 16:31. Juniors Eddie Hill (11th) and Angus Sidore (14th) closed out the scoring for the co-champs, whose perfect 9-0 league record earned them yet another championship banner.

Dan Maxwell leading early in the Varsity race.

Overall, the Panthers emerged from the BSAL Championships tried and tested but optimistic about the future. The JV season is over, but most would agree that the future for those athletes is bright and full of promise. For the Varsity, the future is two weeks away at Hayward High School for the North Coast Section Championships. Both teams will be seeking a return to Fresno for the State Championships. The top three teams from the NCS Meet of Champions advance onto State with the Panthers seeking more. Come out and support the cross country Panthers as they make their run for Fresno.

The Varsity girls with Coach Mohun.

Panthers Victorious at Mt. Sac!

October 27, 2008

On Friday, October 24th, the boys and girls Varsity teams traveled to Mt. San Antonio College in Southern California for the 61st annual running of the Mt. Sac Cross-Country Invitational. Billed as the “largest cross country meet in the world,” Mt. Sac typically features many of the top teams from around the Golden State.

The boys team, seeking respect on the challenging Mt. Sac course, had an outstanding race. Competing against over 70 other teams, including several Top 10 ranked Division IV teams, the top-ranked NCS Panthers out-ran, out-performed and out-scored the field to notch an impressive team victory. Led by individual winner Dan Maxwell (16:15) and runner-up Tony Levine (16:17), the Panthers amassed a scant 59 points to edge out California-ranked Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles) by 9 points. Other fine performances were turned in by Senior Kellen Asercion (14th overall, 17:12) and Juniors Will Brady (16th overall, 17:19) and Angus Sidore ( 33rd overall, 18:08).

On the girls side, the Division IV race was not much of a race as a quartet of Panthers made their presence felt with commanding individual and collective dominance. Taylor Lawson’s win, coupled with a 2-3-4 overall finish for Alex Choy, Alice Baker and Margot Sullivan respectively earned the Panthers the most lop-sided victory of the meet. Their mere 18 points team total was the lowest of the any team over the two days the meet is held. Ashley Davis, Annie Woelffer, and Hannah Brumbaum also turned in very impressive runs on the hilly and dry 2.95 course.

Next up for the Panthers are the BSAL championships on November 6th at Crab Cove Park in Alameda. Come out and support the Panthers as they chase another league championship!

The boys team takes the stage after their Mt. Sac win.

Will Brady helping the Panthers solidify their victory at Mt. Sac.

Alex Choy, Taylor Lawson, and Alice Baker lead the way in which the Panthers will take the first 4 spots (Margot Sullivan will finish 4th) at the prestigious Mt. Sac Relays.

The Varsity girls with their plaque after their victory at the Mt. Sac Relay.

Both team after winning their races in which 29 team competed.

Panthers Roll Through The Hills of Benicia

October 17, 2008

On Thursday, both JV and Varsity boys and girls teams were in Benicia for a BSAL League triangular meet against St. Patrick/St. Vincent and St. Joseph-Alameda. The course on the shores of Benicia State Park was a challenging one with rolling ups and downs and several steep inclines on the sides of shade-less hot hillsides. As race times were mid-day, this would certainly present a challenge to all competing teams. Still, the Panthers would not relent and, in fact, recorded some very impressive times as compared with their last meeting on this course in the fall of 2005.

First up were the JV teams. Both boys and girls scored impressive, convincing wins over their Catholic School rivals. The girls team finished in 10 of the first 11 places of their race, led by Freshmen Daisy Merida, Izzy Smull, Mary Harrington and Claire Sullivan. Juniors Maeva Riley and Regina Clincy were not far off the pace along with Freshmen Alexis Cortez-Holmes, Zina Foston and Akeli Ledesma-Smith running tough on the Benicia course. In the process, the JV girls improved their BSAL record to 9-0.

The boys also impressed on Thursday. Led by standout Sophomore Jimmy Plain, the Panther runners placed six in the first 10 positions and eight in the first 13 overall to also record strong wins and run their league record to 6-2. Freshmen Duncan Calvert, Stevie Greene, Victor Munoz, Alfonso Garcia, Jonathan Ordonez, and Sophomore Matt Dull also had fine races for the upstart Panthers.

For the Varsity squads, Thursday was another opportunity to move one step closer to a second (girls) and third (boys) consecutive BSAL league championship. In both races, each team took no time in asserting itself, small leads early turning to large leads later and ending in dominant team performances. The #1 state-ranked girls squad placed six in the top seven positions while also improving its league record to 9-0. The boys ran in similar fashion, out-scoring the Bruins from St. Pat’s by 34 points while posting a 35 point win over the Pilots from St. Joe’s. All told, the day certainly belonged to the teams from Saint Mary’s.

Next up is the Mariner Invitational this Saturday at Garin Park in Hayward. Both JV girls and boys teams will be on hand to test themselves on the very hilly, very rigorous Garin Park course. Come out and join the Panthers this Saturday!

Questions Answered as Panthers Return from Clovis

Sunday, October 12th

Heading into Saturday’s Clovis Invitational , several big questions loomed in the back of the minds of the Saint Mary’s cross country team. First, could the girls team, who have been so dominant at the Division IV level this year, step up the challenge of competing against the best teams in California in the Championship division of the prestigious Clovis invite? Second, could the boys team, whose recent performances had called into question their standing as one of the elite teams in California, regain their stature by out-pacing some of the best teams from Division III, IV, and V on the state meet course at Woodward Park? Lastly, could some of the younger, inexperienced runners travel into a cauldron of competitive running and hold their own? After Saturday’s meet, the answers to all of these questions are yes, yes, and yes!

The Clovis Invitational is the biggest, most competitive meet in Central California. More than 40 state-ranked teams arrived on Saturday, hoping to test themselves and maybe get a state meet preview on this, the site of the state championships in late November. A comfortable temperature and fast competition greeted the runners at the start. For the JV girls, in fact, their 7:15am start time added a bit more challenge to their already tall task. Fortunately, this group found the course, race and atmosphere very much to their liking. Up front, freshmen Daisy Merida, Izzy Smull and Mary Harrington made their inaugural trip to Clovis memorable. Both Daisy and Izzy broke the coveted 22:00 minute barrier for the 3.1 mile course, Daisy crossing in a quick 21:49, with Izzy :09 seconds back at 21:58, and Mary right on her heels at 22:03. Due to their efforts, a sizable smile could be seen on the face of Mr. Mohun, whose program’s future seems to be in the class of 2012.

If the future is promising, the present is a dream for the girls team. After three consecutive invitational wins, including a dominant performance at Stanford two weeks ago, the Varsity girls team traveled to Fresno seeking respect amongst the state’s finest. Thus, the decision was made to enter the championship division, which featured many of the state’s top Division I and II teams. All of those teams’ credentials and histories are storied and all would present an incredible challenge to the Lady Panthers. And true to form, the girls responded with several season and lifetime bests over the 5k distance. Once again, Junior co-captain Taylor Lawson led the charge with her first ever sub 19:00 clocking, finishing in 18:57. After her, a slew of PR’s ensued, with Alex Choy at 19:11, Alice Baker at 19:12, and Ashley Davis with a huge 19:43, down 2:21 seconds from last year! Way to go Ashley! Margot Sullivan finished the scoring for the Panthers (20:00), followed by sophomore Annie Woelffer (20:32) and junior Hannah Brumbaum (21:58).

For the boys, questions were abound about just how good they were. Stanford had been a bit of a disappointment, so for the past two weeks this team had been stewing. So, Saturday was a day of redemption and fulfillment, as the boys team out-distanced all other Division IV teams on its way to a 4th place finish in the Small School Varsity division. Dan Maxwell continued his breakthrough season, leading the Panthers with a Woodward Park PR 16:03 and a 4th place finish overall. Junior Tony Levine finally secured his place as one of the North Coast Section’s finest with a PR 16:37. Will Brady (17:17), Kellen Asercion (17:20), and Eddie Hill (17:35) completed the scoring for the Panthers. Dan Woelffer (17:44), Stevie Greene (18:12), Duncan Calvert (18:16), Jimmy Plain (18:53), and Angus Sidore (18:56) also had fine runs to round out the trip for the Panthers. Full results can be found on the Schedule page of this website.

Next up is the penultimate BSAL league meet on Thursday at Benicia State Park against St. Patrick/St. Vincent and St. Joseph’s. The first race begins at 3:30. Come out and support the Panthers as their quest for consecutive league championships continue.

Lady Panthers Triumphant at Stanford!

Saturday, September 27th

On Saturday, the Panthers traveled to Palo Alto for the annual Stanford Invitational. At stake during the 3.1 mile race would not only be area bragging rights, but the memories of competing at Northern California’s most prestigious cross country invitational. Teams from all over the Pacific Northwest and California would make this meet a tremendously competitive affair. When it was over, bragging rights, memories, and competitiveness were aplenty for the 7 Lady Panthers who challenged the Stanford course this day. Led by the dynamic duo of Taylor Lawson and Alex Choy, the girls team completely dominated the Division IV-V race. Their 53 point total was the lowest any team would compile all day and their total team time (adding up the individual times of all 5 scoring runners) was the fastest of any North Coast Section team, regardless of school size or division. Following Taylor and Alex were Senior mainstays Alice Baker, Margot Sullivan, and Ashley Davis. Junior Hannah Brumbaum and Sophomore Annie Woelffer also had very fine runs for the victorious Panthers.

For the boys, the illness bug had plagued them for most of the week. After fighting through it to earn a tough victory on Thursday against Albany and Alameda, the Panthers finally succumbed to the trials of the week. Despite another excellent run from Junior Dan Maxwell, his 6th place individual finish would be one place ahead of the team’s, which wound up 7th.

Next up for the Panthers will be a BSAL meet on Thursday @ 3:30 pm at Point Pinole Regional Park, when the Panthers take on Berkeley High and Salesian. Come out and support the Panthers!

Panthers Run By Opponents in BSAL Opener

September 25, 2008

The defending BSAL champion cross country teams opened the league season on Thursday in impressive fashion. The opponents were league rivals and NCS ranked Albany and Alameda, as well as Encinal and Kennedy-Richmond. Over 150 athletes would compete on the notoriously tough Tilden Park course and in the end Saint Mary’s had once again positioned itself as the favorites to repeat as league champions.

The JV girls opened the meet with resounding victories over the above-mentioned competitors. Led by up-and-coming stars Daisy Merida, Isabella (“Izzy”) Smull and Mary Harrington, who swept the first three places, the girls scored 20+ point wins over all four schools. Several other athletes, including Juniors Regina Clincy and Maeva Riley and Freshmen Sarah Allison and Zina Foston ran solid races for the Panthers. Unlike the girls, the JV boys had their hands full on Thursday. Alameda and Albany traditionally field very strong JV teams and this year’s boys were no different. Without their top runner, Jimmy Plain (who ran in the Varsity race this day), the JV Panther boys could not muster enough strength to out-do the Hornets or the Cougars. However, very strong performances were received by Freshmen Duncan Calvert and Alfonso Garcia as well as Sophomores Matt Dull and Jordan Wong. As coach Craig Sutphin said afterward, “Today was a wake-up call for us. Our early season success may have made our team a bit complacent. I think our guys are looking forward to practice next week. We want to get better, both as individuals and as a team. We’re still trying to convince ourselves to accept the pain of running. Once we do that, this team will take-off.”

Pain was certainly part of the Varsity Boys vocabulary on Thursday. Two teams, Alameda and Albany, are recognized around the East Bay cross country community as two of the better teams in the area. Thus, victory would not be achieved without some pain. Fortunately, the 2008 Panthers would trade pain for victory. Running without ill-stricken Junior Will Brady, the Panthers still managed to record convincing victories over their league rivals. Juniors Tony Levine and Dan Maxwell led a 1-2 Panther sweep of the race. Eddie Hill, Dan Woelffer, Kellen Asercion, Angus Sidore and Jimmy Plain then closed the scoring for the now 4-0 Panthers.

The Varsity Girls also flexed their top-ranked muscles on Thursday. Following the boys’ path, Junior Alex Choy and Senior Alice Baker led a 1-2 Panther sweep on their way to big wins in this BSAL opener. Co-captain Margot Sullivan, Senior Ashley Davis and Junior Hannah Brumbaum finished the scoring for the Lady Panthers who now look forward to Saturday’s Northern California showdown at Stanford.

The team scores of yesterday’s meet can be found below, while the complete results can be found on the Schedule page. Up next for the Panthers is the first of three huge invitationals. Stanford usually attracts the best from Northern California and around the state. Lots of coverage and attention are placed on this meet. Both boys and girls teams will travel to “The Farm” hoping to reap some rewards for their hard work. Good Luck this weekend!!

Var Boys	Var Girls	JV Girls	JV Boys
SM - ALA 24 - 35	SM - ALA 15 - 45	SM - ALA 15 - 50	SM - ALA 40 - 19
SM - ALB 22 - 33	SM - ALB 20 - 37	SM - ALB 17 - 37	SM - ALB 39 - 19
SM - ENC 15 - 50	SM - ENC 15 - 45	SM - ENC 15 - 50	SM - ENC 18 - 43
SM - JFK 15 - 50	SM - JFK 15 - 50	SM - JFK 15 - 50	SM - JFK 15 - 50

The JV boys start take the early command in their opener against Albany, Alameda, Encinal, and Kennedy.

Freshmen Stevie G. Duncan C. and Sophomore take the early lead in the BSAL opener.

The JV girls make an early statement as they role to a 4-0 start.

Freshmen, Daisy, Akeli, and Izzy take the early lead as the Panthers roll by Alameda, Albany, Kennedy, and Encinal.

Stanford Invitational

September 24, 2008

Please find the race schedule and entries for this Saturday's Stanford Invitational in the Schedule section of the website. Simply click on Stanford Invite for all the information. Thanks.

Panthers Victorious at Farmer Invitational

September 20, 2008

On Saturday, the Panthers competed at the 6th annual Farmer Invitational, hosted by Hayward High School, on the site of the NCS championship meet. With the ultra-competitive Stanford Invitational just a week away, the potential for runners to look beyond the Farmer Invitational loomed. However, a bowl of focus flakes must have been digested by the Panthers this morning because they ran like this was their last race. Starting with the JV girls and finishing with the Varsity boys, all teams were exceptional on this day. Junior Hannah Brumbaum led the JV girls to a team victory, running the 2.0 mile course in an efficient 13:32. Freshmen Isabella Smull, Daisy Merida and Akeli Ledesma-Turner also received individual meet honors with their top 10 finishes. Mary Harrington, Regina Clincy and Maeva Riley also had outstanding runs for the Panthers.

The JV boys also recorded their first invitational win of the season. Sophomore Jimmy Plain continued his impressive season thus far by churning out a crowd-pleasing, come-from-behind victory in 11:14. Following Jimmy were a trio of outstanding freshmen led by Duncan Calvert and including Stevie Greene and Nate Hill. Sophomore Matt Dull closed out the scoring for the Panthers who out-dueled American High School from Fremont for the team title. Junior Mike Giuntini also recorded a nice performance for himself and the Panthers.

For the Varsity, both teams would dominant the 20 team meet. The girls would place all 6 of their runners within the top 15. The Lady Panthers top 5 finished amongst the top 10 overall. Junior Alex Choy led the way with an outstanding early season 18:32 on the Meet of Champions course. Taylor Lawson, Alice Baker, Ashley Davis, Margot Sullivan and Annie Woelffer would finish the scoring for the #1 state ranked Lady Panthers.

For the boys, the performance of the day would go to junior Dan Maxwell. Coming off a solid performance at Ed Sias, coaches were expecting a strong run from Dan. However, he blew even the loftiest expectations out the window. His 15:31 over the rolling, grassy 3.0 mile course was the second fastest in school history, only trailing the 15:25 of current Brown University runner Matt Duffy in 2006. Following his blazing trail were juniors Tony Levine (16:31), Eddie Hill (16:43) and Will Brady (16:50). Seniors Kellen Asercion and Dan Woelffer closed out the scoring for the victorious Panthers. Full results for the Farmer Invitational can be found on the Schedule page.

Next up for the Panthers is the opening of the BSAL league season on Thursday at Tilden Park against rivals Albany, Alameda, Encinal and Kennedy-Richmond. The first race begins at 3:30. Come out at support the Panthers in their quest to repeat as league champions!