Mustangs run their first race of the season at the Woodbridge Invitational

Running as expected, the Mustangs made their 2006 debut at the Woodbridge Invitational.  Although times might not be spectacular,  they are promising in that the Mustangs have yet to venture into traditional anaerobic, or speed work outs.  In addition, only 3 weeks ago did the Mustangs start tempo training.  Coaches expect faster times in the week to come, first on Saturday at the Bell-Jeff Invitational, and then on Wednesday at the first Sante Fe League Meet at the Rose Bowl. 

Across the board, many runners made fine improvements.  Many returning runners, in fact, made more than a minute improvement from last year.  The future looks promising for the 2007 cross country season.  It looks as though the Mustangs might have 7 runners under 18 next year at the Woodbridge Invitational.

In the senior race, both Freddy Robles and Christian Ruiz ran slower than expected.  Freddy paced the Mustangs with a 17:20, 22 seconds slower than his PR.  Freddy can run faster, and he will be the first to admit it. Expect him to prove that on Saturday where he might flirt with running under 16 at the Bell-Jeff Invitational.  Although Lisa improved by 20 seconds running an 18:20, better times are on forthcoming.

Several juniors missed Saturday's race for various reasons, but even that did not cast a shadow on Ivan Rafael's pleasant surprise.  Ivan improved more than a minute, running a 17:40.  He will be counted on to be a solid scorer for the rest of the year.  Also, Adan Garcia improved by a minute.  His 18:30 was expected.  Juniors Carlos Alvarez, Eric Castanon, and Paul Cornejo all missed the race.  Carlos had a club soccer game, Eric had car issues, and Paul simply overslept.  All 5 juniors will run in the varsity race on Saturday.  Both Carlos and Paul had quality tempo runs this week.  Eric look strong at last week's tempo run.  Coaches are hoping for several sub 18s on Saturday from this group. 

Sophomores Daniel Verdin, Daniel Garcia, and Abraham Santa Cruz, all improved dramatically.  Posting a time of 18:04, Daniel Verdin improved by 1:42.  Like Ivan, he too will be counted on to be a major part of this year's cross country success.  Danny Garcia improved by 1:13 as he ran an 18:47.  Coaches noticed that Daniel slowed in the 3rd mile.  His strength will come soon.  Making the biggest improvement in a year in terms of time differential was Abraham.  Coaches have spotted his running talent, and have been frustrated by his inconsistent attendance at practice.  His 19:07 adds to their frustration.   All 3 sophomores will run in the Frosh-Soph race on Saturday.