Mt. SAC and Cerritos lead the way at the annual Manny Bautista Invitational; Olympians Robert and Isla Shine
SAN DIEGO - The Manny Bautista Cross Country Invitational once again drew the top community college cross country programs in the state, turning Liberty Station's Naval Training Center into the center of the state's distance running scene. The invitational welcomed 36 teams, making it the largest community college invitational in the state. It also served as an early look at the programs expected to compete at the 3C2A SoCal Cross Country Championships on November 7, which will be hosted by San Diego Mesa College.
The invitational honors Manny Bautista, a legendary figure in California community college athletics. Bautista coached at Mesa for 14 years, guiding his teams to four state titles. His 1994 women's cross country team captured the first state championship in school history, and his 1998 women's track and field team remains the only program at Mesa to win a state title in that sport. His men's cross country teams were ranked number one nationally in 2000 and 2001. Bautista earned California Community College Coach of the Year honors four times and continues to be active in the running community.
The women's 5K was a duel between Jocelyn Alba of Orange Coast and Olympian Jazzlyn Islas. Alba set the pace through the first two and a half miles before Islas surged ahead in the final stretch. Her finish push captured the individual title in 18:20, 13 seconds clear of Alba. Jadeyn Skefich of El Camino closed well to finish third in 18:35.
The remaining top ten finishers in the 5K:
• Natalie Allen (SD Mesa) 18:43
• Sophia Ebiner (Mt. SAC) 19:01
• Victoria Jamison (Canyons) 19:02
• Brianna Richards (Ventura) 19:05
• Casey McConn (Mt. SAC) 19:10
• Kaitlyn Reyes (Mt. SAC) 19:16
• Keona Mataali (LA Harbor) 19:20
Mt. San Antonio College showed its strength with a deep and balanced performance, placing four runners among the top 14. The Mounties won the team title with 49 points, comfortably ahead of Orange Coast with 102. SD Mesa finished third with 115.
The men's 4-mile race delivered the most exciting finish of the day. Diego Varela of Mt. San Antonio College pushed the early pace, drawing a lead pack that included Joshua Morales of Cerritos, John Gutierrez of Allan Hancock, and Lucci Roberts of SD Mesa. In the final mile, Roberts moved to the front with Morales on his shoulder, and the two battled stride for stride to the finish line. Morales surged just enough to lean across the line, with both athletes clocking 20:22.5. Gutierrez finished third in 20:32.
The rest of the top ten featured a mix of Cerritos, Mt. SAC, and Riverside runners:
• Juan Flores (Cerritos) 20:36
• Diego Varela (Mt. SAC) 20:37
• West Greenelsh (Riverside) 20:40
• Joshua West (RCC) 20:48
• Louis Santibanez (Cerritos) 20:50
• Jordan Myers (SD SAC) 20:58
• Jonah Botello (Mt. SAC) 21:03
With five runners in the top 20, Mt. SAC edged Cerritos for the team title 60 to 64.
(San Diego Mesa College Athletics)