De Anza women, Hartnell men claim Coast Conference cross country championships

 

SALINAS - Dating back to 2007, the only team to dethrone the Hartnell College women at the Coast Conference Cross Country Championship has been the women of De Anza College. The Mountain Lions have recorded team victories in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and then went 10 years to 2022 before winning another conference title. In a one-point decision in 2025, De Anza College would add its sixth team title since the old Golden Gate Conference converted to the current Coast Conference. 

 

With just two full scoring teams in the women's 3-mile race, the team title came down to host Hartnell College, winner of ten of the last eleven conference titles, and De Anza College. On the strong running of sophomores Siena Pignataro in third place (18:35) and Corinne Thelen in fourth place (18:57), the Mountain Lions placed two before host Hartnell's Gabriela Cardenas (19:13) crossed in sixth. De Anza would add Romy Keissling in eighth (20:06) before Deisy Gracida Gabriel (20:20) would finish in ninth place. Hartnell would try and close the scoring gap with Crystal Madrigal (20:31) in tenth, Jenna Partida in eleventh (20:37) and Karen Perez in twelfth (20:48). It would be Nathaly Bernal of De Anza running a 50-second personal best at Toro Park that would push the Mountain Lions one place ahead with her 20:57 time in thirteenth. Despite having its first five scorers all in before De Anza College, the two-team scoring favored the Mountain Lions, who would complete their scoring with Erika Pham (22:26) in eighteenth. The final score had De Anza 28 points to Hartnell with 29 points. This was De Anza's first victory of Hartnell this season as both head into next week's Northern California Championship at Woodward Park.

 

Individually, the College of San Mateo had sophomore Ericka Dorn lowered her personal best at Toro Park in 18:16 to win comfortably by 13 seconds. Dorn became the fourth-best Coast Conference performer ever at Toro Park for her efforts. Monterey Peninsula sophomore Mary Hooper surprised all with a fantastic final half of the race to finish runner-up in 18:29. That makes Hooper the seventh-best Coast Conference performer on the course. Deia Kerseg of CSM repeated her all-conference honors from last year placing fifth in 19:07. Teammate Lina Cruz Parada was seventh in 19:42, giving the Bulldogs three in the top seven overall but two runners short of a scoring team. 

In the men's race, heavy team favorite Hartnell College was a decisive winner with a low score of 17 points. That would be the lowest point total since 2005 when the Hartnell team scored 16 points. Sophomore Julian Vargas powered away early and won by 69 seconds in 20:30. The mark was the fourth fastest ever by a Hartnell runner and just two seconds off what Norcal favorite and last year's runner-up Stephan Chapdelaine of Butte College ran back on October 3rd at Toro Park. Hartnell sophomores Alvaro Ruelas (21:39) and Giancarlo Mendo (21:39) finished second and third just ahead of Giovanni Lancelotti of De Anza  (21:41), spoiling the perfect score for the Panthers. Hartnell's Leyder Hernandez (21:45) and Giovanni Ochoa (22:02) would finish fifth and sixth overall. Monterey Peninsula's Mamoud Alwasila (22:17) placed seventh just ahead of Ivan Martinez-Galindo (22:21) and Gabriel Clemente (22:23) of Hartnell. De Anza would place with 59 points Jonathan Kammerer and Roee Biluar with top 14 finishes. Chabot College was third with 75 points, adding Tirduad Rejaly in the top 14. 

All full teams will advance to next week's Northern California Championship at Woodward Park. This the first time since 1989 that both the Norcal and State Championship will be held consecutively at Woodward Park.