Official NCS Div 1 Pre-Season XC Rankings Released

These are copied from cross country express but I've pasted them here so they're easier to find

Boys: This team is going to be my favorite team to watch as the season unfolds. Although there are no stars on this team, Santa Rosa brings back their top 6 runners from last year (3 seniors, 2 juniors, and a sophomore) and their 6th returner has demonstrated more ability than anyone else’s #5. Although De La Salle, Amador Valley, and Granada are potentially deeper, Santa Rosa’s guys have been there and done it and that counts for a lot. To be competitive at the end of the season, they will probably need to improve by about 45 seconds each, but with this mix of veteran leadership and youth, it’s not out of the question. These boys from the North Bay might be the team to upset the balance in this division and even though the teams in their area are not in this division, there is enough talent to keep them battle tested all year long. The biggest concern is that their track times do not look like that of a team cross country champion, but as I have stated before and as evidence has indicated many times, it is not a prerequisite that a very good cross country team have incredible track credentials. The top returner on this team is senior Jonathan Peck, who finished 9th in the NBL last year and 21st at NCS (in Division 2). Peck has also run 4:34.62 in the 1600 and 10:10.37 in the 3200. The man with the best track times is fellow senior Michael Tomasi, who has run 4:33.72 and 9:54.29 on top of finishing 14th at the NBL meet and 23rd at NCS. The #3 runner for Santa Rosa last year was junior Michael Kennedy, who finished 16th at the NBL Meet and 25th at NCS, but only managed a 4:52.76 1600 on the track. Rising sophomore Aden Holmes was next, running finishing his freshman campaign in 20th at NBL’s, 37th at NCS, and a track pr of 4:48.46 for 1600. Last year’s #5 was Jordan Guerrero, who finished 25th at NBL’s and 31st at NCS. Guererro took the next step in the spring putting up marks of 4:39.62 and 10:29.92. Other runners who have a chance to score for Santa Rosa include the following:
Jonathan Ahlberg (Junior)-29th at NBL and 42nd at NCS xc, 4:51.85 1600
Brian Juarez (Sophomore)-4:47.59 1600, 10:46.70 3200
Key to Success: A really good summer. This team has everything it needs to be really good, but without improvement across the board, they won’t go far. If they can prepare themselves to train at a higher level, so that they can then compete at a higher level, they have a chance to beat anyone in this division.


Girls: This spring saw rising junior Sadia Ibrahim lead the section in the 800 almost wire to wire. She was one of just a couple of NCS athletes under 2:20 as she sat at about 2:16 for much of the year. Just as it was coming to a close, she put on an exclamation point and ran 2:12.99 to cement herself as the premier 800 runner in the section and a force to be dealt with at the state level. Although she was not a contender in cross country last year (finishing just 7th in the NBL and 41st at NCS), and tends to race shorter than 800 rather than longer (she has a 400 pr of 57.48) it would be folly to count out a 2:12 800 runner. The top returning runner from the team is senior Eva Herbst who finished 4th in the NBL and 25th at NCS a season ago. Like Monte Vista, Santa Rosa boasts an experienced line-up with a bit of depth. Because of their strength at #5, they have to get the nod over schools like Mission and Logan who have a big question mark at that #5 position and not enough punch in their 1-4 runners to necessarily make up for that. It will take big improvements from all of them to jump from a top 5 team to a potentially top 3 team, but those kinds of jumps are most common with teams built with depth, rather than teams who just need to go out and identify that one more person. Returners for this team and others looking to make a difference are as follows:
Emily Rozga (Senior)-11th at NBL and 44th at NCS xc (D2), 2:28.96 800, 5:44.03 1600
Evvy Archibald (Senior)-13th at NBL and 42nd at NCS xc (D2), 5:53.23 1600, 12:39.54 3200
Marina Lecoeuche (Senior) 16th at NBL and 38th at NCS xc (D2), 5:39.62 1600, 12:47.83 3200
Trixi Scolari (Sophomore)-Transfer from Maria Carillo, 68th at NCS (D3)
Sarah Withers (Sophomore)-6th JV at NBL xc, 6:15.67 1600
Key to Success: This team needs to rely on its seniors to be a steadying influence and get a stronger contribution from 800m standout Sadia Ibrahim. If those things happen, they will quickly climb the division 1 ladder.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C3-cuXLUfROW88uBXBAZBjQd1uCukjXZ8Wn5HurhXl0/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

Channel Challenge Relay Race

Heart and Sole is partnering with Saucony to host the first ever "Channel Challenge" on Friday, July 15th at 9 am. Four person relay teams will compete running a total of eight miles. But there's a twist. Instead of your traditional four people run two miles each; it's completely open-ended. You can run any distance you want, as many times as you want. It's up to the teams to figure out the most effective way to cover eight miles. One person could do five miles and the others run one, or you could take turns sprinting 200's... the combinations are endless! The only rules are that everyone must run at least once, and be a high school runner (graduates of 2011 and incoming frosh ok). Heading east on Highway 12, take a right on Mission. Turn left on Montgomery, pass the dam, and right on Channel. Drive down Channel about two miles. There is parking at the base of Richardson, though it requires a nominal ($6) fee. This fee goes towards keeping our great park open. While there are other ways to run into the park, this parking location is very convenient and will greatly help our state parks. RSVP to Alex Wolf Root to receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a free pair of Saucony shoes! Winning male and female teams will be awarded with awesome Saucony prizes as well. Because this event starts at 9, arrive as early as you need to for warmups.

Doug Needs Help Walking His Dog!

As many of you know, Doug recently had knee surgery. One of his knees was replaced, and he is currently unable to walk Ringo while he recovers. If you would like to help out, please call or text me at 480-4645 to find out what days are open. You can do it at any time that's convenient for you, just check with me for the day. Doug lives over by the SR Fairgrounds at 809 Brigham Ave. It takes less than an hour to do this, but it means the world to Doug and Ringo. Please help!

PANCAKE RUN!!!

Come to Carrie's house for a long run and a stack of pancakes (from scratch) next Sunday, July 10th at 9:00 a.m. Don't miss the sweat and syrup! (Well, don't try them together...) Rumor has it that there might be chocolate milk too!

Where: 2908 Field Stone Court. Go south on Summerfield, take a left on Carissa Ave, 2nd right on Field Stone Court.

Be there!

JC Intervals, Summer Track Series, and the Kenwood Footrace

So much going on! First off, JC grass intervals begin this Wednesday, June 29. We start at 5 pm on the front lawn of Santa Rosa Junior College, where the sign is on Mendocino Ave. If you don't drive, you can get dropped off right there at the parking circle. If you do drive, the best place to park is at Santa Rosa High School over by the North Gym, which is in the parking lot closest to the JC parking garage. A group of us will be walking over from there. JC workouts don't last too long, so it's easy to bring a change of clothing and go to the market afterwards. We'll be having these every Wednesday at 5. 

The Summer Track Series is being held at our school this year! It's one of our fundraisers so both parent and athlete volunteers are needed to run this event (no pun intended). Please arrive at the track by 5:45 PM to assist with setup and registration. Athletes who wish to race should show up by 6 PM because the gun goes off for the mile at 6:30 PM. It's a very casual and fun event to help out with and participate in, please show up! It will be happening every other Tuesday, and the last one was Tuesday June 28.

Our largest team fundraiser is the Kenwood Footrace, which takes place on Monday, July 4th. This event requires the help of every athlete and parent on the team. We serve as course monitors, water station workers, and fruit choppers. Please arrive at the starting area by 6:15. I know that sounds extremely early, but remember this is what pays for the epic cross country yearbook, and we really need everyone's participation. If I, as a high school senior, can wake up that early one day of the summer, you guys can too. No excuses! Contact Doug at 528-0627 or ZEEMIE@aol.com to confirm your attendance.