The Mustangs return 3 All-League runners in seniors Freddy Robles, Edwin Garcia, and junior Carlos Alvarez, as well as the Junior Varsity Champion, senior Christian Ruiz.  Freddy has logged more miles this summer than in his previous 3.  With PRs of 16:20 and 17:20 on the Bell-Jeff and Mt. Sac. courses respectively, Freddy is primed to become the League Champion and earn all C.I.F. honors for division 4.  Although Edwin has been  hampered by a foot injury, coaches expect big things from him this fall.  In the spring, Edwin ran 11:00 in 3200 meters.  Coupled with his solid  summer base training, Edwin will return to form and in the process could challenge Freddy for lead runner status.  At League Finals last year, Carlos ran several seconds behind Edwin.  The same can be expected this year.  Carlos has run sparingly this summer in large part because he is on the 17 and under soccer national team.  As much talent that Carlos has for soccer, the same can be said for his gift as a runner.  The next top returnee from last year's League Finals, Christian "Lisa" Ruiz, will be counted on to close the gap.  He has looked the most impressive this summer and on many instances has out performed the top 3.  A spot at C.I.F. Finals hinges on whether or not Lisa can be within 1 minute of the lead runner. 

The final expected scorer for this year's team and by far the most improved runner this summer is sophomore Daniel Verdin.  His resolve to be a top runner was evident last year when he let it be known that he would beat Francisco Garcia, Edwin's older brother and sub 17:00 runner on the Mt. Sac. course.  When Daniel learns how to race, his promise to be a lead runner will come to fruition. 

Rounding up the varsity team this year will be juniors Ivan Rafael, Adan Garcia, Paul Cornejo, junior Eric Castanon, and sophomore Daniel Garcia.  Ivan was on track last season to be the surprise of the team when he was slowed by a hamstring injury.  He was a scorer last year and will be counted on to provide stability to the "pushers" (a team's 6th and 7th finishers who finish ahead of other teams' top 5 finishers).  In the early season, Ivan  figures to be a scorer for the Mustangs.  At a recent 2 mile time trial, Daniel Garcia ran within seconds of Ivan.  He is a cousin of Edwin and it appears that he will turn into a top runner in the near future.  The question is, when?  Adan and Paul both have shown signs of improvement this summer, but their need for speed may deter their chances to challenge the top 7 this year.  They will run several varsity races, and may provide to be pleasant surprises.  Probably the most talented runner in this group is Eric Castanon.  However, he is also the most inconsistent.  His lack of commitment to summer base training has hindered his progression as a runner, yet finishes most runs with the second tier varsity runners.  He will make gains on his teammates at season's end.  Look for Eric to become Junior Varsity Champion.