CIF State Championships
Woodward Park
Fresno CA
Saturday, November 26, 2011

RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE 

Girls' D3 RunnerSpace Race Highlight Video HERE!

CHECK OUT TIM FONG'S PHOTO ALBUM HERE!

Verdon Repeats, Joyce Finishes 3rd; Teams Just Miss Podium at State Meet

After chasing Oakmont's Karlie Garcia for over three miles of the Division III race at California's State Championships, Carrie Verdon (12) finally pulled into the lead. The defending champion only held the top spot in the race for a few seconds, but they were the seconds that counted most: The ones that ticked off the clock just as she crossed the finish line.

The come-from-behind victory makes Verdon the first repeat state title winner in the history of the division, and establishes her as a contender for next weekend's Western Regional Championship.

Megan McMillan (13), Mary Orders (15) and Rachel Johnson (15) managed to break 19 minutes on the Woodward Park 5k course in support of Verdon's efforts, finishing 21st, 28th and 35th, respectively. Meanwhile, Brooke Martini (12) took over the #5 position for the Cougars, passing a struggling Brighie Leach (15) in the final 400m.

In the end, the defending team champions' point total of 150 placed them just outside the awards tent, 8 points behind the runners-up, Vista Del Lago, and 3 points shy of the 3rd place finishers from Aptos. Palos Verdes won the team title with 103 points.

In the final race of the day, Thomas Joyce (12) looked as good as his stellar performance of a week earlier, claiming the top time among NCS athletes. His 15:20 finish was enough for 3rd place in the Division III race, and improved his own school record on the course by 11 seconds.

Joyce ran a conservative first mile before surging up to St. John Bosco's Danny Martinez and shaking loose all but Palos Verde's Jonah Diaz from the chase group. The strong second mile turned it into a three man race at the front. Though he struggled to keep pace with the pre-race favorites down the final stretch, Joyce's mid-race courage ensured him a spot among the top three.

Vinson Compestine (12) and Keith Geiger (12) finished 27th and 32nd to keep the squad in contention. At the two-mile mark their team was in 3rd place, with a 30 point advantage over the 4th place school. However, late race struggles by the usually closely clustered Campo pack resulted in a final score of 162, one point short of a spot on the medal stand.

Campolindo's Carrie Verdon wins second straight CIF state cross country championship

By Phil Jensen
Oakland Tribune

FRESNO -- Campolindo High's Carrie Verdon found herself in an unusual place with roughly a half-mile remaining in Saturday's California Interscholastic Federation Division III girls state championship race.

Verdon was second, and it was announced after she reached the 2.5-mile mark at Woodward Park-Fresno that she was eight seconds behind leader Karlie Garcia of Oakmont-Roseville.

But Verdon made up ground on Garcia and passed her with approximately 50 meters to go to win her second straight CIF Division III girls state individual championship. She crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 19 seconds for the 3.1-mile course, one second ahead of Garcia. Verdon's time was the second-fastest of the meet for all girls divisions and the fastest Northern California girls time.

The Colorado-bound Verdon was strong mentally in the comeback. "I was just like, 'Come on, Carrie. I know you're really efficient,' " said Verdon about her thoughts in that last stretch. "I want it so bad, and I know I can do it."

"I think Carrie's just a beautiful runner in terms of mechanics, and she doesn't get in her way," Campolindo coach Chuck Woolridge said. "She can accelerate like few athletes."

Campolindo's Thomas Joyce and St. Joseph Notre Dame's Nick Ratto both placed third individually in their respective divisions. Joyce was comfortably in the back of a large lead pack while crossing the 1-mile mark of the Division III boys race in 4:51. He moved up to second by the 2-mile mark, which he crossed in 9:53, and finished in 15:20, the fastest time by an East Bay runner in the meet.

"In the second mile, I wanted to catch those two," said Joyce, referring to winner Danny Martinez of St. John Bosco-Bellflower (15:11) and runner-up Jonah Diaz of Palos Verdes-Palos Verdes Estates. "With 800 to go, those two took off, and I didn't have an answer."

Ratto was in 10th place when he crossed the 2-mile mark of the Division V boys race in 10:14. But he passed seven runners in the next 1.1 miles to finish with a time of 15:45. "There was a pretty big pack in front of me," said Ratto about his situation entering the final 1.1 miles. "I knew if I was within striking distance of them with 600 to go, I could pick them off."

Ratto led the Pilots to a third-place team finish, the top showing by an East Bay boys team at the meet. St. Joseph Notre Dame had a score of 106. The top placing by an East Bay girls team belonged to College Prep, which was third in the Division V race with a score of 129. Both the Campolindo boys and girls squads were fourth.

San Ramon Valley's Parker Deuel and Amador Valley's Jena Pianin placed fifth individually in their respective divisions. Deuel, a senior, was sixth when he reached the 2-mile mark of the Division II boys race in 9:54 and finished with a time of 15:27. "That was probably one of the most painful races I've ever run," said Deuel, the North Coast Section champion in Division II. "I didn't think I'd come back from NCS and do as well as this."

Pianin finished in 18:03 and became only the second East Bay girl since 1989 to place in the top five in the Division I state championship race. The junior was ninth at the two-mile mark before a particularly strong final 1.1 miles. 

CHECK OUT XCSTATS.COM DATA FOR THE MEET HERE!

BOYS' VARSITY
Grd TOTAL PR CR Plc.
THOMAS JOYCE 12 1520 3
VINSON COMPESTINE 12 1559 27
KEITH GEIGER 12 1602 32
DANIEL JOHNSON 12 1631 69
LELAND WONG 12 1644 86
KEVIN FONG 11 1644 88
ADAM HATHAWAY 11 1726 152

Palos Verdes 100, St. John Bosco 112, Piner 161, Campolindo 162, West Torrence 173, Cathedral 186, Cathedral Catholic 198, Damien 214, Miramonte 216, Brea Olinda 222, San Luis Obispo 263, El Capitan 352, Shafter 363, Valley Center 414, Redwood 416, Placer 437, Chico 441, El Dorado 471, Del Oro 484, McFarland 488, St. Ignacius 508, Sacred Heart 603, Saratoga 666, Skyline 757

GIRLS' VARSITY
Grd TOTAL PR CR Plc.
CARRIE VERDON 12 1719 1
MEGAN MCMILLAN 11 1846 21
MARY ORDERS 9 1853 28
RACHEL JOHNSON 9 1857 35
BROOKE MARTINI 12 2008 105
BRIGHIE LEACH 9 2158 178
JULIET FARNAN 12 2215 183

Palos Verdes 103, Vista Del Lago 143, Aptos 147, Campolindo 150, Cathedral 192, Santa Margarita 215, Acalanes 230, Corona Del Mar 239, San Luis Obispo 249, Granite Hills 257, Canyon Crest 264, Clairemont 286, Bonita 287, Northwood 309, Oakmont 309, Las Lomas 345, Redwood 366, Del Oro 454, Sacred Heart 490, Valley Christian 534, Shafter 543, Golden Valley 588, Skyline 759