Terrance Interview

So, for the summer months of non-competition and cranking out the miles, I'm going to be posting some interviews of different team members.  First, we'll start with Freshman Terrance Ellis.

WXCD: Terrance, how was your freshman year in college, on and off the track?

T: It was a good experience, I got to live on my own, didn't have to deal with anyone, got some doors opened up to what I could become.  A good year, looking as if it's promising a really good future.

WXCD: Who is your roommate?

T: (Teammate) Eric Gutierrez

WXCD: Does he do anything funny as a roommate?

T: Funny you ask.  He sings karaoke to a heavy metal German band.  And he sings subconciously and makes weird noises and sounds without knowing he's doing it.  And most of the time he cooks stuff he burns it.

WXCD: What are your summer plans?

T: Get really really in shape for cross, so I can make top 7.  Learning some more guitar techniques, painting of course.  That's pretty much the gist of it.

WXCD: Do you have a role model?

T: I would have to say I don't have a specific role model, I feed off of everyone.  I see the good aspects in other people and take those on as my own, but no one really specifically.

WXCD: Favorite post run pig out meal?

T: The day that I finally broke 1:58, I pigged out at Denny's before the race!

WXCD: If you could play another sport collegiately, what would you play?

T: Martial arts or wrestling.

WXCD: What are your goals for the upcoming cross and track seasons?

T: For cross: not exactly sure, I don't know what I'm capable of, but I want to make top 7.  For track: I plan on getting 1:55 or lower, because I want to break 1:50 before I graduate.

WXCD: One last question: what is your superpower?

T: My superpower is: when life throws me lemons, I make lemonade.

APRIL'S GOING TO NATIONALS!

'Nuff Sed.

Suckremento State Last Chance

For a few Warriors, CCAA wasn't the end of the season. April and the men's distance crew wanted one last chance to better their times and hit pr's before they took time off for the upcoming XC season. The goal for April: better her time in the 800 and get a better spot at nat'ls. The goal for Martin: hit a provisional. The goal for the rest of the jokers: sub 4.

April ran a good race, but not what she wanted. She was in a very fast heat with runners from a lot of D1 schools, and she went out a little hard. She ended up not bettering her time, but it was still good experience.

Martin couldn't quite hit the pace he wanted to in the steeple. There were only 4 people in his race, the rest of them sub-par steeplers, most in the 10 minute range, not what you expect at a last chance meet. After 4 disappointing laps, Martin dropped out when he saw that he was well off pace.

In the men's 1500, Dawson and Joey broke 4 minutes, cruising in at 4:58.00 and 4:58.61, good enough for 7th and 9th all time at Stanislaus. Shane ran a 4:09, Eric was 4:10, and Palmer was 4:11.

A few good performances, a few ok ones, but what's important is that Joey and Cat got to spend some time together :)

CCAA Results

After a soppy weekend in 50 degree rain, wind, and cold, the Warriors were glad to be home after a successful trip to Chico. The men placed 4th overall, 15 points behind Pomona for 3rd. The women were 4th.

April Montgomery won the 800 in a close battle, edging out a Chico runner by .04 seconds. It was super close race, but April caught her right at the line for the Championship. Also in the 800 , Rubye ran a great race and came in 6th in 2:21. Marissa ran well in prelims, but was the first woman not to make it into a very competitive finals field.

In the women's 1500, Denali made finals with a big pr of 4:47 in prelims. In the finals, she ran a a great race, very competitive, and finished 10th in 4:56. Cat and Chelsea both ran well in the prelims, clocking 5:22 and 5:23.

In the men's 1500, Joey Nunes went out hard (a 2:04 for the first half, a little quick Joey!) and ended up in 5th with a time of 4:00.6. Dawson kicked it in the last 400 to claim 8th and score a point with a new pr of 4:01, and Eric struggled after taking an early lead and contending. It's all good though, he ran the race like he wanted too. Eric finished in 9th in 4:06.

In the Steeplechase, Martin was in excellent postition, but took a nasty fall on the last water jump. A UCSD runner ahead of him ate it on the barrier, and Martin was at the mercy of the barrier, with nowhere to go since this guy was all over the place. He was sitting in 4th, but ended up 5th in 9:33, just seconds off a provisional. Palmer ran smart and hard, and earned a point for CSUS, finishing 8th in a new pr of 10:24.

The men's 5k was the event to watch. In retro gold jerseys and sexy spandex, 4 Warriors toed the line and ran their hardest. Joey Nunes latched onto the lead pack and maintained his position, finishing 2nd overall in a time of 14:59. Joey split Chico's Beau Rogers and Jimmy Elam, and made an awesome statement about CSUS distance. Eric had an incredible race, making a 12 second pr, finishing in 15:20 in 7th place. Dawson was right behind him, kicking it in once again to finish 9th in 15:21. Shane ran hard, clocking a 15:43 less than 22 hours after his debut 10k.

Speaking of 10k, Shane ran the event the night before, and hit a lifetime track pr of 33:49 in the rain and cold. Andrea, Clarissa, and Lindsay Garcia also ran the 10k, and had great races, finishing in 41:55, 42:05, and 43:04.

In the women's 5k, Lindsey V ran a 19:49, and Rachel Ochs was right behind her with a 21:27.

The women's 4x4 featured April, Rubye, and Marissa, and they ran a great race, finishing 6th and picking up some needed points with a time of 4:07.

In all, it was a great meet, and everybody capped off the season with a bang!

The Dawn of a New Era

Chico was rainy, cold, windy, and miserable, a dismal place to hold the 2009 CCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Despite the first crappy weather we've seen on a meet day all season, the Warriors stepped up their game and showed California how we do.

I'm calling this post "The Dawn of a New Era" because I sincerely believe that a new era in D2 running is upon CSUS. I've looked at the results of the past, and Stanislaus has never been anything special as a whole. Of course we've had a few National Champions, a couple of medal winners, and several All-Americans, but what school hasn't? The difference between most schools and the top programs is depth and consistency. For the last decade, Chico has exhibited both. They've been the CCAA distance squad that has dominated in entirety. We're talking medal stand sweeps of nearly every event, always a winner, nobody in contention.

However, this track season was different. I'm not taking anything away from their performance, they ran fantastic times and deserved the win, I'm just saying that things are shifting. For the first time in program history, Stanislaus had 3 men in the top 9 of the 1500 and 5k, and two men score in the Steeple. Shane's very first 10k didn't score, but his time would've last year. We didn't even have an 800 runner. With 3 men we scored 15 points in two events, and with 5 we scored 20 in 3 events. Chico fielded a team of 15 distance runners in 5 events, so they should be expected to score between 75-85 points. All I'm saying is that the dominance needs to be reexamined.

Further still, the dominance wasn't total. Chico only swept the medal stands on the 800, where only 3 schools fielded runners, and the steeple, where Martin would've placed had he not gotten tripped up by a fallen runner ahead of him on the last lap. In the 15, 5k, and 10k, they only occupied 1 or two places out of 3, thanks to Eric Malain, Joey Nunes, Jersain Torres, and Andrew Sylvester. However, in those races, no one else from Humboldt or Pomona scored, whereas Stanislaus packed in a couple more in the top 9.

Humboldt and Pomona distance both scored 16 points, and had people in every event. Like I said earlier, Stanislaus scored 20 in only 3 events.

I say all this simply to state my opinion that Stanislaus Men's Distance is on the rise. We were 5th at CCAA Cross Country after a couple crappy performances, but now we've proved that we are young, hungry, and properly trained. In a few years, I see a new contention for the top spot in the CCAA, not a one-sided power lurch. Everybody's coming back, so next year is going to be extremely exciting. Congrats to everyone in the CCAA for running well this season, and I'm looking forward to cross.

ALL-CCAA

Congrats to Joey Nunes for his 2nd place finish in the Men's 5k at conference and for getting on the sub 15 train. Stay tuned for more results from CCAA Championships.

CCAA CHAMPION

I did not get a picture of April on the podium (hopefully she will get on the All-American podium at NCAA's). Here is a picture of her CCAA win by .04 seconds.

LADIES NIGHT SLIDESHOW

LADIES NIGHT

The Men's team put together a really nice dinner for the Women's team. They served a three course meal and later recited some poems that were individually written for each Lady Warrior. It was a great pre-conference gathering.