Cross Country
Welcome to Cross Country
Men finish 8th at Aztec Invitational, Gonia 3rd Individually
Daniel Gonia runs to a strong 3rd place finish at the Aztec Invitational
Daniel Gonia ran an outstanding race, primarily against NCAA Division I competion, at the Aztec Invitational with a 3rd place finish in a time of 25:33. The men’s team (currently ranked 4th in the state in this weeks state rankings) finished 8th as a team with 192 points. The Air Force Academy won the competition in Balboa Park with 50 points while local schools Cal State San Marcos finished 6th with 164 points and USD finished 10th with 276 points. After Gonia, sophomore Dave Edwards was the second San Diego Mesa finisher in 37th place with a time of 26:44. Both Edwards and Gonia improved their times from last year’s meet by over 1 minute. The other three scorers for the team came from the outstanding freshman class. Mike Denman (53rd, 27:16), Bernardo Bahena (60th, 27:30) and Barrett Tilley (83rd, 28:16) all ran well, especially considering that they were all running at the 8k distance for the first time and that most of their competition came from the older NCAA Division I athletes.
In addition, San Diego Mesa had 4 men compete in the “open” race. They were led by freshman Tucker Bass (13th, 29:21) and Lance Blaskowski (14, 29:41). Coach Thom Hunt was especially pleased with the improvement of the second year athletes and the competitive efforts of the freshman runners. The men will compete again in two weeks at the September 29 Stanford Invitational.
Men’s Cross Country to Compete at
Aztec Invitational
The men’s cross country team will kick the season into gear at this Saturday’s Aztec Invitational. The meet will be held at Balboa Park with the men running beginning at 9:30 a.m. The team will be divided in two, with half competing in the open division and half running in the invitational. Leading the way is returning All-State runner Daniel Gonia and All-So Cal performer Dave Edwards. They will be joining in the invitational race by three incoming freshman; Bernardo Bahena (Clairemont HS), Mike Denman (Otay Ranch HS) and Barrett Tilley (Grossmont HS). The three newcomers add both strength and depth to the squad as it attempts to improve upon it’s 4th place finish at the 2006 state championships. Coach Thom Hunt is excited about the upcoming season and said he’s “really excited with the group of hard-working and talented freshman that we have coming in. We’re looking forward to a very competitive season.” After the Aztec Invitational the men will travel to Stanford and Cal Poly SLO for two more collegiate invitationals before defending their Pacific Coast Conference cross country title at Morley Field on October 26.
2006-07 Season
Mesa Men 4th at State / Gonia All-State
Daniel Gonia and Dave Edwards led the Mesa men's cross country team to a fourth place finish during the state championships in Fresno.
The Mesa College men's cross country team, led by an all-state performance from Daniel Gonia, finished 4th at the state cross country championships. The team scored 155 points, behind the 114 points of the winning team from San Bernadino Valley College and only 18 points out of the medals behind El Camino. Daniel Gonia was awarded all-state honors with his 11th place finish over the 4 mile course with a time of 20:36. The other Mesa finishers over the 4 miles course in Fresno's Woodward Park were Dave Edwards (32nd, 21:07), Chris Prevost (45th, 21:23), Ian LaForm (46th, 21:23), Chris Capeau (50th, 21:28), Jesse O'Brien (114th, 22:19) and Marc Corrales (164th, 23:16). Coach Thom Hunt said he was "very pleased that the team ran well, it was the first time all season that all five scoring members finished within a minute". With six of the top seven finishers returning next year the team looks forward to continued success.
On the women's side, Mesa's lone runner was Christa Agustin who finished in 99th place over the 5000 meter course with a time of 20:56. Christa capped off a fine season where she was consistently Mesa's top finisher and garnered All-Conference honors. The women's team was composed entirely of first year runners and looks forward to even more success in 2007.
Men 2nd in SoCal Advance to State Championships
The men's cross country team, led by an All-SoCal performance from Dave Edwards, finished 2nd at the Southern California Cross Country Championships. The meet was held Friday, November 3 at the Lancaster National Soccer Center. In addition to Edwards 9th place finish in 22:41, Mesa had strong performance from scoring members Daniel Gonia (21st, 23:02), Chris Capeau (35th, 23:25), Chris Prevost (46th, 23:35), and Ian LaForm (60th, 23:58). The men finished second with 164 points behind San Bernadino Valley's 118 points on the 4.1 mile course around the Lancaster Soccer Center. Next up is the State Championships to be held in Fresno on Saturday, November 18.
In the women's race Christa Agustin advanced to the state championships with a strong race, finishing in 79th place with a time of 22:41. Molly Goodman just missed qualifying for state with her 96th place finish in 23:13. The women's team finished in 26th place, out of the 28 competing teams, with a team score of 652 points.
Men Win Pacific Coast Conference, Daniel Gonia League Champion, Women Qualify for So Cal Championships
The Mesa College men's cross country team won the Pacific Coast Conference championship with a dominating performance Friday, October 27th on the Morley Field 4 mile course. Led by the winning performance of Daniel Gonia, Mesa captured the top four spots in the race and won with the low score of 18 points. Behind Mesa were Southwestern College (52 pts.), Cuyamaca College (54 pts.) Palomar College (118 pts.) and San Diego City College (134 pts.). In addition to Gonia, Dave Edwards (2nd), Chris Capeau (3rd), Ian La Form (4th), Chris Prevost (8th) and Jonathon Miller (15th) received all-conference honors. With momentum from their championships the men head off to the Southern California Championships to be held Friday, November 3rd in Lancaster, CA.
Also qualifying for the Southern California Championships was the Mesa College women's team. The women earned their spot with a 4th place finish scoring 108 points. The Mesa women were led by a fine all-conference performance by Molly Goodman who finished 9th with a time of 22:31 over the 5000 meter course. Christin Agustin also earned all-league honors with her 11th place finish in 22:51. The championship was won by Southwestern College, whose strong squad won convincingly with a perfect score of 15 points.
Full Results from the Pacific Coast Conference Championships are available here.
Men 6th and Women 12th at Santa Barbara City College Invitational
Daniel Gonia (West Hills HS) again lead the way for Mesa at the Santa Barbara City College Invitational.
The men's cross country team finished 6th out of 20 full teams competing at the Santa Barbara City College Invitational held Saturday, October 13 run on the Santa Barbara campus. Many of the state's top teams competed with the event being won by San Bernadino Valley College with 82 points. Mesa totaled 177 points in finishing 6th. This was the team's first competition of the season against community colleges. Leading the way with a top ten finish was Daniel Gonia (West Hills HS). Gonia finished 8th in a time of 19:37 over the 4 mile course. Right on his heels was Dave Edwards (Poway HS) with a 12th place finish in 19:51. Impressive performances were also turned in by Chris Prevost who passed upwards of 30 runners to finish in 31st place with a time of 20:32 and Jonathon Miller who finished as Mesa's 6th man with a season best 21:57 in finishing in 91st place. Jonathon's performance adds to the depth of the men's team.
The ladies team finished in 12th place with 329 points. Mesa's first finisher was Christa Agustin (El Camino HS) who completed the 5k course in 35th place with a fine time of 20:44. Molly Goodman also cracked the top 100 finishers with her 71st place finish in a time of 22:27. Encouraging for Mesa was finishing 2 spots ahead of conference rival Grossmont College.
Both the women's and men's teams compete next at the Pacific Coast Conference Championships on Friday, October 27. The meet will be held at Morley Field with the women beginning at 2:30 p.m. and the men starting at 3:15 p.m. Come on out and see both teams go after conference championships.
Charles Bowles Invitational - Willamette University September 30, 2006
Mesa's strong pack running with (l-r) Chris Capeau, Chris Prevost, and Ian La Form helped power the team to a strong finish at the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Oregon.
The Mesa men's cross country team ventured to the northwest for the Charles Bowles Invitational, hosted by Willamette University. Running in the race with Division 1 and Open Club teams, Mesa finished in 12th place out of the 20 teams and over 200 runners. Mesa finished third among community college teams and would have finished in second place, behind Northwest power Spokane CC, if the meet was scored with just community college runners. Leading the way again for Mesa was Daniel Gonia, who continued his fine season with a 46th place finish with the fast time of 25:30. Also scoring for Mesa were Dave Edwards (79th, 26:01), Chris Capeau (113th, 26:38), Chris Prevost (118th, 26:40) and Ian La Form (125th, 26:50). All of these times were seasonal and lifetime bests for the Mesa athletes. The men's team members who did not compete in Oregon will compete this Saturday in the UCSD Triton Classic.
Women's Season Opener
The Mesa Women's Cross Country Team opened up its racing season at the Orange Coast Invite this past Saturday. This race was unique because its distance of 5200 meters was the longest distance that the women will race this season. The team's promising performances brought about a mountain of smiles through personal improvements and the completion of the first official race for the season. Christa Agustin was the team's first finisher with a time of 22:26. Andrea Lopez followed shortly thereafter with a time of 25:47. Molly Goodman (26:03), Tessa Clausen (27:09), and Joy Smith (33:51) all competed in their first Cross Country race, showing an excitement for the season to come. The Women's Coach Angie Fitzpatrick said "This was a great way to start off the year. We have a very young group, and this race demonstrated that we have the essential elements to build a successful team".
The Women's team will be racing this upcoming Saturday at the UC Riverside Cross Country Invite. The Men's team will be in action again at the Charles Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.
Men Third at Aztec Invitational
Dave Edwards (left - Poway HS) and Daniel Gonia (right - West Hills HS) on their way to top ten finishes at the 62nd Annual Aztec Invitational held at Balboa Park.
The men's cross country team came through with a strong performance on Saturday, September 16 with a third place finish in the open division of the 62nd Annual Aztec Invitational held in Balboa Park. The team scored 68 points, finishing behind an Open team and Cal Poly Pomona. Leading the way for Mesa were Freshman Daniel Gonia (6th) and Dave Edwards (8th). Because the team is composed primarily of freshman, this was the first experience for most racing over the 8k distance. Mesa's top returning runner and team captain, Chris Capeau, improved his 8k personal best by over 3 minutes with his time of 28:40 while finishing in 21st place. Capeau was "happy that my hard work over the past year has resulted in better times and performances". The next race will be on September 30 when the team travels to Salem, Oregon for the Charlie Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette University.
The women's team opened their season with four competitors in the community race of 5000 meters. Leading the way for Mesa was Carly Juengel with Tessa Classen right on her heals. The women will compete in their first full competition this Saturday, September 23 at the Orange Coast Invitational.
Men's Season Opener
The Mesa College men's cross country team opened the season Saturday, September 2 at the Balboa 4 Mile. The team used this as an early season opener, running conservatively from the beginning. The top Mesa finisher was Daniel Gonia, who moved up to 14th place with a time of 22:46. Dave Edwards (18th, 22:58) and Chris Prevost (19th, 23:11) ran with Daniel most of the way and also finished in the top twenty. Coach Thom Hunt was happy with the team effort and said, "This was a great way to begin the season and we're looking forward to the Aztec Invitational in two weeks where we can let our hair down a little bit".
Next up is the Aztec Invitational on Saturday, September 16 at Balboa Park. The women's team will also be opening their season at the Aztec meet, hosted by San Diego State University.
Cross Country Team Completes Big Bear Training Camp
To prepare for the start of the season the men's cross country team spent 4 days training on the trails surrounding Big Bear Lake. Not only did they train hard, they had a great time eating, watching movies, going bowling, getting wet on the water slide, etc. A photo gallery is coming soon of some of the team activities up at the Big Bear training camp.
Both the men's and women's teams open the season this Saturday, September 2 at the Balboa 4 Mile. The San Diego Track Club's race, now in its' 46th running, is part of the Dirt Dog Cross Country series put on by the San Diego - Imperial Chapter of USA Track & Field. The race begins at 7:30 a.m. at Sixth Avenue and Quince Street in Balboa Park.
Freshman Headline Men's Cross Country Resurgence
Freshman leading the cross country team include (l-r) Jesse O'Brien (San Pasqual HS), Dan Gonia (West Hills HS), David Edwards (Poway HS), and Marc Corrales (Otay Ranch HS).
The men's cross country team, with two state championships in 2000 and 2001 looks toward a resurgence in 2006. The resurgence is being led by an outstanding freshman class. The head of the class includes four freshman who excelled at local high schools during 2005-06.
Jesse O'Brien had an outstanding career at San Pasqual High School in Escondido leading the team to three state meet berths in cross country and twice qualifying for the state track & field championships. Jesse's highlight was winning the California State 800 meter title in 2005. He ran a PR of 1:52.0 at the Arcadia Invitational in 2006 and also ran a 4:22 mile.
Dan Gonia was an all-CIF performer at West Hills High School in both cross country and track & field. In addition, he was twice named Grossmont League runner of the year. He ran a PR of 9:24.0 for 3200 meters while finishing 8th at the CIF championships in 2006.
David Edwards was a state track & field qualifier at 800 meters for Poway High School. He ran a PR of 1:54.0 while finishing 2nd in the 800 meters. David was league champion in the 800 meters and also showed great range from the 400 all the way up to 3200 meters.
Marc Corrales was twice South Bay League champion in the 800 meters. He ran a PR of 1:59.2 in the 800 meters. He was also undefeated for 3 years in South Bay League cross country meets.
In addition to these four freshman, the men's cross country team has built an outstanding squad of both new and returning athletes. The season opens on Saturday, September 2 at the San Diego Track Club's Balboa 4 mile in Balboa Park.
Next Up - Look for a preview of the women's team led by new coach Angie Fitzpatrick.