Athletes of the Year
Bay Area New Group
Saturday, December 21, 2011

Joyce, Verdon Named Bay Area News' "Runners of Year" while Compestine, McMillan Land All-Area Team Spots

Four Campolindo harriers were named to the 2011 Bay Area News Group's All-Area Teams in Wednesday's edition of The Contra Costa Times. Leading the way, as they have done all season long, Thomas Joyce (12) and Carrie Verdon (12) toped the list as "Runners of the Year."

Also selected were Vinson Compestine (12) and Megan McMillan (12), who each helped their respective squads to league and section titles.

East Bay Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year: Campolindo's Thomas Joyce

By Phil Jensen
Bay Area News Group

When asked to describe his 2011 cross country season, Campolindo High star Thomas Joyce thought a few moments.

Than he said, "Magical."

It certainly provided an ending that could remind some of the play of a certain quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Joyce had won only one race all season entering the Diablo Foothill Athletic League championships Nov. 5. But after successfully defending his DFAL individual title, Joyce upset prerace favorite Luis Luna of Piner to win the North Coast Section Division III championship race with the fastest time of the section championships (14 minutes, 58 seconds for the 3.0-mile Hayward High course). He capped his season with a third-place finish in the California Interscholastic Federation Division III championship race, posting the top East Bay time at the meet and the fastest Northern California time in the race (15:20 for the 3.1-mile Woodward Park-Fresno course).

For his accomplishments this season, Joyce has been named the Bay Area News Group-East Bay Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. "You go into big meets, and you have a confidence that he will be able to summon a big-meet performance. He's a gamer," Campolindo coach Chuck Woolridge said. "Some athletes melt in the pressure; Thomas thrives in it. He has a quiet confidence."

"I achieved most of all my goals," Joyce said. "I won DFAL again, I upset Luis at NCS. I didn't win the state meet, but I can't complain with how it turned out." Interestingly, he said a key race for him this season was the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 24, in which he placed fifth in 15:40 for the 3.1-mile course at Stanford Golf Course. He was 32 seconds behind winner Luna.

"It was a horrible failure," Joyce said. "I realized I had to step it up in the postseason. I had to do a lot of work from there on out if I was going to beat him."

In the NCS Division III race, Joyce was close to Luna at the one-mile point and passed through the two-mile mark in the same time as the Piner star. Joyce took the lead for good on a flat portion of the last mile and won by five seconds. In the Division III state championship race, Joyce was second at the two-mile mark in a lead pack of three.

"Thomas was relentless and stayed with Luis through two miles, then saw an opportunity," said Woolridge about the NCS race.

East Bay Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year: Campolindo's Carrie Verdon

By Phil Jensen
Bay Area News Group

Anyone who doubted the toughness of Campolindo High cross country star Carrie Verdon needs to look at only one race this year to wipe out that thought. Verdon won the state Division III girls championship race in dramatic fashion. She overcame a big deficit in the final half-mile of the 3.1-mile race at Woodward Park-Fresno to sprint past leader Karlie Garcia of Oakmont-Roseville with approximately 50 meters left.

But what wasn't apparent was that Verdon was in pain, and not just from the race pace. At the mile mark, she noticed pain in her right ankle. "I, like, zoned it out. I tried not to think about it," Verdon said. "After the state meet, directly after the race, my (ankle) was really hurting. I took a couple days off, and I thought it would get better."

It didn't, and the injury was diagnosed as a stress fracture before the Foot Locker West Regional on Dec. 3. The injury ended an impressive season for the Colorado-bound senior in which she successfully defended three consecutive titles in the postseason. Verdon broke her record on the Hidden Valley Park-Martinez 3-mile course at the Diablo Foothill Athletic League championships with a time of 17:30.5, then broke her North Coast Section Division III girls championship course record with the No. 2 all-time girls mark on the 3-mile Hayward High course (16:57). She completed her trifecta by winning the Division III championship race in 17:19.

For her accomplishments this season, Verdon has been named the Bay Area News Group East Bay girls cross country runner of the year.

"It was an incredible season," Campolindo coach Chuck Woolridge said. "She has done everything possible to put herself in contention to have success."

But Verdon tends to talk about her team's successes before her own. "I think it is so much more fun when you win as a team. Bottom line, it is more fun when you can share a win together," she said.

But make no mistake about it -- Verdon is looking for the individual win also. And she achieved that goal in every race she ran this season.

All-East Bay boys cross country

GABE ARIAS-SHERIDAN, St. Joseph Notre Dame, So. -- Arias-Sheridan set an North Coast Section Division V championship course record with a time of 15 minutes, 16 seconds on the 3.0-mile Hayward High course. He also placed 10th in the California Interscholastic Federation Division V state championship race with a time of 16:04 for the 3.1-mile Woodward Park-Fresno course and was the runner-up at the Bay Shore Athletic League championship race (15:07 for the 2.9-mile Point Pinole Regional Shoreline-Richmond course).

VINSON COMPESTINE, Campolindo, Sr. -- Compestine was a key member of a Cougars squad that set a team time record on the Hayward High course for NCS championship races. Compestine was seventh in the NCS Division III championship race with a time of 15:29, and he was second in the Diablo Foothill Athletic League championship race (15:52.4 for the 3.0-mile Hidden Valley Park-Martinez course) as the Cougars won the team title. In the CIF Division III state championship race, Compestine was 27th in 15:59.

PARKER DEUEL, San Ramon Valley, Sr. -- Deuel successfully defended his NCS Division II individual title with a time of 15:05. He also placed fifth in the CIF Division II state championship race with a time of 15:27. He started the postseason by winning the East Bay Athletic League championship race individual title in 15:16.70 for the 2.95-mile Shadow Cliffs Park-Pleasanton course.

THOMAS JOYCE, Campolindo, Sr. -- Joyce had the fastest East Bay time at both the NCS and CIF state championships. He won the NCS Division III title in 14:58 and was third in the CIF Division III state championship race (15:20). He also won the DFAL championship race title in 15:40.6.
NICK RATTO, St. Joseph Notre Dame, Sr. -- Ratto passed seven competitors in the final 1.1-miles of the CIF Division V state championship race to place third in 15:45. He also was second in the NCS Division V championship race (15:28) and was the BSAL champion with a time of 15:03 in the league championship race.

NOLAN TONKYN, Albany, Sr. -- Tonkyn's time in his eighth-place finish in the CIF Division III state championship race (15:42) was the third-fastest East Bay time in all divisions and was a school record. He also was sixth in the NCS Division III championship race (15:25) and was third in the BSAL championship race (15:18).

TYLER TROXEL, Acalanes, Sr. -- Troxel ended strongly this season with the East Bay's fourth-fastest time at the NCS championships (15:23, as he placed fifth in the Division III race) and the East Bay's fifth-fastest time at the CIF state championships (15:51, good for 18th in the Division III race) this season.

All-East Bay girls cross country

DIRIBE ABDO, Berkeley, Fr. -- Abdo, who moved to Berkeley from Ethiopia last summer, had an impressive first high school season. The Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League champion (18 minutes, 33 seconds for the 3.1-mile Cesar Chavez Park-Berkeley course) placed second in the North Coast Section Division I championship race with a time of 17:49 seconds for the 3.0-mile Hayward High course and was ninth in the Division I state championship race with a time of 18:14 for the 3.1-mile Woodward Park-Fresno course.

CHRISTINE BAYLISS, San Ramon Valley, Fr. -- Bayliss' outstanding season included an individual title in the NCS Division II championship race, in which she had the fastest girls freshman time of the meet. In the Division II state championship race, Bayliss finished 12th in 18:05 with the fastest freshman time in that race and the second-fastest freshman time in all of the girls races in the meet. She was also the runner-up in the East Bay Athletic League championship race with a time of 17:45.76 for the 2.95-mile Shadow Cliffs Park-Pleasanton course.

ANNIE MARGGRAFF, Acalanes, Jr. -- Marggraff was consistently near the front of the race in the postseason. She started with a runner-up finish in the Diablo Foothill Athletic League championship race (18:31.6 for the 3.0-mile course at Hidden Valley Park-Martinez). She then was third in the NCS Division III championship race (18:09) and capped her high school season with a 14th-place finish in
the Division III state championship race (18:39)

MEGAN MCMILLAN, Campolindo, Jr. -- McMillan's runner-up finish in the NCS Division III championship race (18:02) helped the Cougars win the team title with an outstanding team time. She also placed third in the DFAL championship race (18:51.5) and 21st in the Division III state championship race (18:46).

SPENCER MOORE, St. Mary's, So. -- Moore's runner-up time of 17:45 in the NCS Division IV championship race was the fifth-fastest time in all girls divisions in the meet. The Bay Shore Athletic League champion (17:53 for the 2.9-mile Point Pinole Regional Shoreline-Richmond course) also placed ninth in the Division IV state championship race with a time of 18:07.

JENA PIANIN, Amador Valley, Jr. -- Pianin placed fifth in the Division I state championship race (18:03), becoming only the second East Bay girl since 1989 to place in the top five in the Division I state championship race. She also won the NCS Division I championship race in 17:41 and was victorious in the EBAL championship race (17:26.47).

CARRIE VERDON, Campolindo, Sr. -- The Colorado-bound Verdon successfully defended all of her postseason titles. She won the Division III state championship race with an outstanding kick in 17:19. She also broke her own record for the 3.0-mile Hidden Valley Park-Martinez course at the DFAL championship meet in 17:30.5 and set a NCS Division III girls championship course record (16:57) which ranks second all-time for all divisions on the 3.0-mile Hayward High course.