Cross Country Recaps the Decade's Accomplishments
During the decade spanning 2010-2019, Hartnell College Cross Country dominated the conference competition and broke into the American River straggled hold in the region for the men. The ladies became the region's perennial powerhouse winning half the regional titles and placing in the top 4 at the state championship four times. Below is a quick breakdown of each year's highlights.
2010
A year after winning the Northern California title in 2009, the women's team kicked off the decade with the win at the Conference Championship 25 to 34 over rival DeAnza College lead by Mayra Garcia's overall win. The Panthers would rack up eight all-conference honors. She would go on be the highest placing Panther at the Northern CA Championship going from 22nd as a freshman to 7th overall. Stephanie Castro would enjoy a meteoric rise from seventh runner to third in conference and All-Region. Four women would place in the top 14 to push the Panthers to a 48 to 68 win over host American River College. The Norcal Championship was a repeat from 2009. The women placed 13th at the state championship with Garcia (19:30) and Castro (19:58) producing the top marks.
The Panther men returned to dominance in 2010 winning the Coast Conference Championship 25 to 62 over DeAnza College lead by freshmen duo of Miguel Gallegos and Kevin Roa. The Panthers would sweep the top 3 with Salinas product Robert Anderson enjoying his best collegiate race to take third. In a close affair at the Northern California Championship, the Panthers were tied 34 to 34 with eventual champion American River College through four runners but would finish second with 82 points. It would be the first regional trophy of the decade. Gallegos and Roa placed 7th and 8th for all-region honors. The surprise of the race was Pajaro Valley grad Eric Yepez who placed 10th overall. In addition, hidden in 19th place, Cristian Soratos would soon become known to the entire state come 2011. The men matched the women's 13th place team finish at the state meet with Gallegos posting a fine 21:09 for 35th overall in his first championship tour of Woodward Park.
2011
The story of 2011 was the arrival of Cristian Soratos. A year prior, Soratos had placed 11th in the conference, 19th in the region. 113th in the state. Fast forward to fall 2011 and the transformation becomes evident with his third place finish at the Fresno Invtiational in 20:56. Soratos would go on to post all-time performances on every course and set the Toro Park program record at 20:30. He won the Coast Conference title easily and jumped over teammates Gallegos and Roa to 5th overall in the region. Gallegos and Roa would become rare two-time all-region recipients in helping the Panthers to another second place regional finish. The men placed 13th at the state championship for the second consecutive year with Gallegos saving his best race for last. He would place 9th overall for All-American honors and run the second best time at Woodward Park in school history (20:30).
In a common occurence in the decade, the Panther women would battle the DeAnza Dons for the team title. The Dons would best the Panthers 25 to 35 but six women would earn all-conference honors with Zaira Guzman leading. The women would close the gap the regional championship but come up 9 points short of upsetting the Dons for the title. Zaira Guzman lead the ladies with her fourth overall place finish in 18:47 at Crystal Springs, repeating her all-region honor from her freshman year. Rosita Uriostegui earned all-region honors in ninth place. The women would place a disappointing 16th overall at state with Guzman posting the top mark (19:39). A late starting Victoria Alcala who finished 135th at state would become one of the big stories of 2012.
2012
Victoria Alcala would emerge as the team leader in 2012 from initial starting gun in Fresno. Her 19:30 Fresno Invitational performance was nearly 90 seconds faster than she left off as a freshman and the fastest season dedut of the decade to date. In addition, Amy Johnston would emerge by chasing Alcala in practice and races. She was 19:49 and top 14 at the Fresno Invitational. Alcala would finish as the conference runner-up with Johnston in third both sub 18:50 at Crystal Springs but it would not be enough to top the Dons of DeAnza. Both would earn All-Region honors placing in the top 7 overall after placing well outside the top 20 as freshmen. Alcala capped her breakout fall by breaking the Hartnell record at Woodward Park with her 19:02 19th place finish. Johnston too improved dramatically on the state course to 19:14, good for 29th overall. The women cracked the top 10 for the first time in the decade and were the second best Norcal team despite finishing fourth in the region.
With an all-star roster, the men dominated the conference championship tallying a low 20 point winning total. Former York HS runner James Palaniuk was the conference winner with Eduardo Guzman taking runner-up. Palaniuk had one season with the Panthers and made the most of it. Nine Panthers would place in the top 14. At the regional championship, the Panthers were overmatched by eventual state champion American River College but did win their third runner-up trophy in a row. Newcomer Michel Ramirez placed 10th overall to earn all-region along with Palaniuk and Guzman in the top 14. The men placed 10th at the state championship for the first time in the decade lead by Ramirez's 21:18 first year performance. This would be a preview of his 2013 season.
2013
With much of the men's roster back in 2013, Michel Ramirez would emerge as the leader of the team. He burst on to the state scene placing fifth at the Fresno Invitational in 20:55. The men posted another low score of 25 to win their fourth consecutive conference title of the decade but the streak of individual winners would be snapped by Abraham Espinoza of Las Positas College. Seven men would earn all-conference honors with a new freshman Diego Leon placing third. The men would place an uncharacteristic third at the regional championship with Ramirez jumping up from 10th as a frosh to 3rd overall. Leon would emerge in fourth overall. At state, the entire team ended up on the bottom of a pile after the start but with no recall were forced to patiently get back to into the race. Ramirez would build his legend by getting up for 9th overall in 20:32, leaving to question how fast would he have run if he had not fallen. The team moved up to ninth overall in the team standings.
Newcomer Maritza Ruelas would win the Coast Conference individual title followed by teammate Brandi Hobson. Both would cover the Toro Park course easily under 20 minutes. The team would win a close battle by 4 points over DeAnza College with sprinter Iesha Boyd's 18th place finish wrapping up the team title. Four women would earn all-conference honors in the win. Ruelas and Hobson would go on to earn All-Norcal honors both placing in the top 7 in their first year. Ruelas would run the state championship less than 100% and the team struggled to a 24th finish, the lowest of the decade. Hobson lead all Panthers with her 51st place finish.
2014
Diego Leon would emerge as the top runner in the state with his early season win at the Fresno Invitational. One year removed from running 21:10 in the same meet, Leon would start 2014 at 20:30 tying the second best Hartnell mark on the Woodward Park course. Leon would only lose one meet all year, the Tour de Cuesta. He lead the men to their fifth conference title with his overall win at Crystal Springs. Eight Panthers earned all-conference. At the regional championship, Leon would become the decade's first Northern California champion beating Abdul Hamid of American River College by 8 seconds. Leon, Justin Carrancho, and Rene Siquieros earned all-region honors while placing second as a team. This would be Hartnell's fourth runner-up regional finish. Diego Leon would become Hartnell's second ever state champion taking the victory over Lucio Ramirez of Orange Coast with a time of 20:10. Leon was just 54th one year prior. The men moved up one spot to their highest state team finish with eighth overall. Carrancho earned all-state with his 19th place finish.
The 2014 season would mark the arrival of the decade's best female individual in Malena Grover. Paired with sophomore Brandi Hobson, the two powered the Panthers to the first perfect score of 15 points at the Coast Conference Championship. The pair would cover the Crystal Springs course in 18:41 and 18:43 with Grover the victor. Eight Panthers earned all-conference. Third for the Panthers was Rachel Shimabukuro who also broke 19 minutes on the course. The Panthers scored just 45 points to win the Northern California title on the same course the next week for the team's second regional title of the decade. Grover, Shimabukuro and Hobson all placed in the top 7 overall with freshman Nancy Rodriguez placing 12th to earn all-region. Final scorer for the Panthes was newcomer Cynthia Tovar, a former JV runner from Alisal High School, who finished 17th in 19:51. The ladies would surprise the state with their fourth place team finish and tie the highest recorded placing for a Hartnell women's team in school history. Grover and Hobson both earned All-American honors in 13th and 14th and both broke Victoria Alcala's 2012 school record of 19:02 by running 18:45 and 18:47. Shimabukuro was 22nd in her first state championship after a three year layoff. Nancy Rodriguez (53rd) and Maritza Ruelas (71st) rounded out the scoring and both were under 20 minutes.
2015
Malena Grover would make her intention of contending for the regional and state title early with a second place finish at the Fresno Invitational in 18:52. She would not place lower than second in a meet in Northern CA or third statewide. Grover repeated her Coast Conference title with a fine 18:24 solo run at Crystal Springs. Shimabukuro would move up to runner-up. The women scored just 18 points to win the conference title with ten women earning all-conference honors. Grover narrowly missed becoming Hartnell's first regional champion since Maria Trujillo by placing second but was rewarded with a program record 18:01 at Toro Park. She lead Shimabukuro (5th), Lizette Garcia (7th) and Yessika Mayo (10th) all ran under 19:47. The ladies scored 42 points to win their second consecutive regional title and third of the decade. For the first time in program history, the Panthers would take home a state meet trophy after placing second overall with 117 points. Grover was third in a school record 18:07 and Shimabukuro moved up to 13th for All-American honors and also became the third ever sub 19:00 on the Woodward Park course. Much improved Lizette Garcia, who was an alternate as a freshman, placed 29th one spot ahead of teammate Nancy Rodriguez in 30th. Both were timed in 19:29. A 52nd place finish would complete Yessika Mayo's one year of cross country that included all-conference, all-region, and a 19:50 clocking at Woodwrd Park.
The year 2015 marked the start of an impressive string of years for the men. With the arrival of high school all-state runner Edgar Bonilla along with an all-star roster of local runners, the Panthers would put togehter some of the best teams of the decade. Bonilla won the Coast Conference title with the Panthers scoring just 19 points. In one of the most impressive displays of teamwork, the Panthers swept places third through twelfth. Despite six runners earning all-region and Bonilla placing fifth overall, the Panthers were relegated to runner-up in the region to powerful American River College. Bonilla would produce one of the best freshman times at Toro Park (20:35) for his efforts. This was the team's fifth regional runner-up trophy of the decade.The team managed to regroup and earn its first top 5 team finish at state with Bonilla leading with All American honors in 9th place. The men placed their top 5 scorers in the top 42 for the first and only time in the decade.
2016
After watching American River College win six consecutive regional titles in the decade, it was finally Hartnell's turn. With experience and determination, the Panthers sent the message early to the Beavers that the Panthers were hungry for the title. They placed second to the Beavers at the Norcal Preview by one point. After scoring just 19 points to win the Coast Conference and having eight Panthers all place in the top 14, the battle would be won the course at Sierra College. With All-American Edgar Bonilla fresh off the first repeat conference title of the decade for the Panthers, he would run nearly the whole course at Sierra College with much improved Jorge Sanchez on his hip. Sanchez would be cleared the regional champion by 0.2 seconds, the first time the Panthers swept the top two spots in the regional championship. The pair distanced themselves from the field by 10 seconds and waited for Mario Perez in fifth, Andrew Martinez in ninth, and Williams Ordaz in the final all-region spot 14th to seal the win. The Panthers tallied their lowest score of the decade with just 31 points and won easily over Las Positas and American River. For the second consecutive year, the Panthers would come tantalizing close to their first state trophy but were rewarded with another fifth place finish. Bonilla became the first repeat All-American in fifth (20:32) pulling Jorge Sanchez (20:35) to the same honor in ninth. Mario Perez earned all-state in 21st (20:59).
In 2015, Yvette Felix and Beatriz Duarte was starstruck watching their teammates dominate the competition. In 2016, it would be the duo's chance to prove themselves as leaders and that they did. Felix flexed her muscles early with a top 14 finish the Fresno Invitational in a lifetime personal best 19:42. She would lead the Panthers in every race but one during the season. Duarte stepped up for the Panthers at the Lou Vasquez Invitational placing fourth overall. Felix would win the Coast Conference title with a fine solo effort of 19:05 in muddy conditions. The team bested DeAnza 24 to 34 with seven women earning all-conference. A year after Felix was the seventh woman at Norcals and Duarte an alternate, the two would both place in the top 9 earning all-region honors. The team placed third overall just a few points from second giving the Panthers a regional trophy three consecutive years. The team placed twelfth at state with Felix setting a lifetime best 19:27 to conclude her career at Duarte getting a much desired sub 20:00 clocking at Woodward Park (19:47).
2017
With only one returning all-conference runner in Christian Aldape, it was hard to imagine the success the 2017 men's team would enjoy. Those that were freshmen the season before stepped their pre-season training up and showed it with an early season third place team finish at the Fresno Invitational. Newcomers Ricky Esqueda, Patrick Olson, and Sergio Coronel would provide a formidable front three that could run nearly an entire race together. Olson would unfortunately lose nearly 8 weeks of the season due to a hip injury leaving Esqueda to lead the team. He would win the Coast Conference title pulling them 25 points with Las Positas second with 50. Eight men would earn all-conference and it was the eighth consecutive team title for the Panthers. Olson would return just in time for the Northern CA Championship at Toro Park. His presence added to a dominating performance that saw Esqueda (20:15) better Diego Leon's Toro Park record by 1 second in taking the overall title. Esqueda was the third Panther to win the overall regional title in the decade. The Panthers put four men in the top 11 with all dipping under 21:00 at Toro Park. The surprise of the meet was Sergio Coronel's fifth place finish in 20:46. A year before, he was watching the race with his fellow freshmen teammates. Olson was eighth (20:55) and Aldape eleventh(20:58). Jaime Garcia in 19th finished the 44 point total for the Panthers. At state, Esqueda finished his one year with the Panthers with All-American honors in 12th (20:40). The Panthers were just 12 points away from fourth place but for the third consecutive year placed in the top 5. For the first time in the decade, all seven Panthers ran under 21:42.
The ladies had experience but had yet to identify a team leader for 2017. That would come in the unexpected arrival of 29 year old Arlene DiazLeal. After over 10 years away from Hartnell College and competitive running, she returned to the campus to give college another try. A mother to her 10 year old son, she took the younger ladies under her wing and guided them to a perfect score 15 points at the Coast Conference Championship. She took individual honors with ten women earning all-conference honors. Facing the future second place team at state, the Arlene and the Panthers put up a valiant fight placing five runners in the top 12 overall. It would be six points short but the ladies had moved up to second in the region. Five women earned all-region and ran under 19:55 at Toro Park with a team spread of just 25 seconds. The season would conclude with a ninth place showing that was not indicative of the team's success that season. Frosh Lauryn Orozco emerged at state as the top runner in 30th (19:30) with Jocelyn Cervantes (19:48) and Monica Ruelas (19:59) all dipping under 20:00 at Woodward Park.
2018
Despite being just the third woman at the end of her freshman year, Monica Ruelas made a pack with herself that her final season for the Panthers would be significantly better. She proved with would be true with a second place finish at the Fresno Invitational with the second fastest season debut time of the decade. Freshman newcomer Daniela Salazar rode Ruelas's coattails to a fourth place finish and marked herself as a contender each week. Ruelas won the Norcal Preview and her first Coast Conference Championship, extending the program's streak all the back to 2013. For the third time in the decade the ladies scored less than 20 points at the conference with eight women earning all-conference honors. The Panthers would continue to get stronger as they established a Norcal Championship record low point score with just 19 points. All seven Panther women earn all-region honors with Ruelas, DiazLeal and Maria Aceves becoming rare two year recipients. DiazLeal also joined an exclusive two-time top 5 finisher with only Malena Grover achieving the feat during the decade. In their best attempt at a state championship in the decade, the ladies placed second to LA Harbor, the only team the Panthers did not face or beat head to head during the season. The team scored 98 points marking the first time in program history scoring less than 100 points at the state championship. Monica Ruelas and Daniela Salazar earned All-American honors in sixth and seventh with their times 18:34 and 18:35 being the second and third fastest in program history. DiazLeal picked up all-state in 19th and 19:05. For the first time ever, all seven women ran 20:07 or better.
For the first time in the decade, the Panther men were unsure who would be their leader during the 2018 season. Luis Perez was an all-conference runner and had regional and state championship experience but had never lead a team. Patrick Olson had returned but needed time to regain his fitness. Despite the obstacles, the men's team won their ninth consecutive Coast Conference Championship. Olso would regain his old form to capture the conference title in 21:44 at Crystal Springs, one of the best solo efforts in the decade. The Panthers scored 27 points with seven all-conference runners. The Panthers gave it their best effort at the regional championship to retain the title but were rewarded with a runner-up finish with a whole new relatively inexperienced group. Olson would repeat his all-region honor in fifth with Alfredo Mejia, Jr. making the jump from all-conference to sixth in the region. Jacob Niles would step up for the Panthers at state and produce a solid 21:34 performance but the Panthers finished outside the top 10 for the first time since 2012 with their 11th finish. Second for the Panthers was Jesus Avalos who only ran the final three meets of the year and did not compete in the regional championship.
2019
After seeing how well her freshman season went Daniela Salazar had a sense her final fall as a Panther could be a special one. Having already placed second in the conference, third in the region, and seventh in the state, all that was left was to do the work to move up a little more. Salazar lead a team at the Fresno Invitational that almost won the meet for the third consecutive year but fell 26 to 46 to Glendale College. In a near dual meet at the front, Salazar was fourth overall joined by teammate Isabelle Torres in eighth making her presence known in this early season affair. The Panthers put four in the top 11 and five in the top 18 but still fell to the Vaqueros. The ladies would dominate the regional competition with Salazar beating last fall's Norcal champion Julia Gonzalez of Diablo Valley Colllege at the Chabot Invitational. The Panthers appeared primed for a state championship run with a low score 17 points to win the Norcal Preview Meet but just after the Brubaker Invitational Isabelle Torres would lose a month to a fibular stress fracture. in Torres's last race before state, the Panthers dominated the competition in the south scoring 28 points against eventual state runner-up Saddleback College. The Panthers would score an ultra low 17 points even without Torres to win their eighth team title at the Coast Conference meet. Salazar moved up to conference champ leading a top 3 sweep with Shantal Martinez and freshman Valeria Gomez-Lozano. Eight women earned all-conference. At the regional championship. it would be a second Norcal title in a row for the Panthers and the fifth for the decade. Salazar took runner-up honors with four Panthers earning all-region. Had Torres not been missing, the Panther theoretically would have perfect scored the regional championship but settled for second lowest score in championship history at 29 points. The state championship push would not happen in 2019, but the Panther women did record their fourth top 4 finish. They narrowly missed their third top 3 trophy by a scant 3 points. Salazar and Valeria Gomez-Lozano both earned All-American honors with Salazar becoming only the third ever to earn back to back honors. Gomez-Lozano will have the chance in her sophomore season. Shantal Martinez used her one season for the Panthers to earn All-State with her 20th place joining an elite group to finish that high in the final race.
The fall 2019 seaon roster looked much like 2017 and the Panthers were hoping for simllar magic. With only one returning runner with state championship experience in Jesus Avalos much of the load would fall on inexperienced shoulders of a group of freshmen. Avalos would show he would be a regional force to be reckoned with after a 10th place showing at the Fresno Invitational in 21:18. Frosh Isaac Gensel at 21:45 in his Woodward Park four mile debut was the only other sub 22:00 peformer in the highly competitive early season race. Gensel and Avalos would both place top 13 at the Norcal Preview Meet at Toro Park with the young group placing fifth overall. Jesus Avalos would become the ninth individual conference champion with his decisive win on the same Toro Park course. Gensel would place third in his first conference meet and be a part of eight that earned all-conference, seven of which were freshmen. In their third attempt ont the Toro Park course, the Panthers would come up just short of a finishing the entire decade with a top 3 regional finish. The young group managed a fourth place finish after finishing fifth at the preview a month earlier. Avalos would go from unknown to sixth in the region with Gensel placing solid tenth overall for his first all-region honors. The team capped the challenging season with their best collective effort at the state championship. A return to the top 10 with a seventh place team finish and third for Northern California programs validated months of training. Avalos and Gensel both narrowly missed All-State honors but were 23rd and 24th respectively. Gensel moved on to the Woodward Park all-time list joining Avalos at 21:18. Only Edgar Bonilla, Diego Leon, Miguel Gallegos, and Michel Ramirez had run the same or faster as freshmen all of whom became eventual All-Americans in cross country.