Deniz State Runner-Up, Panthers Fourth at State

Despite heading into the 2022 CCCAA State Championship ranked only fifth statewide, the Hartnell College men felt they were more than capable of placing higher than their ranking. A year removed from their highest ever placing finish, the Panthers would send just two runners from last year's race to the line with the other five new to the championship line-up. The Hartnell men managed to place fourth, tying the old best program finish and for the fifth time in seven years they placed in the top 5 overall. The Panthers tallied 145 points to place behind Riverside City College in third, San Diego Mesa College in second, and the winner Mt. SAC. 

Sophomore Esteban Deniz, a graduate of King City High School, was sixteenth a year ago and looked to move up significantly a week after he won the Northern California title. He would chase the Socal champion Jesse Alvarado through aggressive splits of 4:48 and 9:48 before last year's fifth place finisher would pull away. Deniz would drop back to fouth heading into the final mile but used a 4:48 final mile of his own to get back into the second place spot. Deniz would cross the line in 20:05.7, the second fastest performance ever by a Hartnell runner over the Woodward Park four mile course. He was one scond from breaking State Champion Daniel Tapia's school record. His runner-up finish gives Hartnell College two consecutive second place finishers in as many years. With freshman Moises Benito placing 25th in 20:54, he could very likely follow in Deniz's foosteps next fall. Sophomore Jose Velazquez running in his first state championship would place 31st overall in 21:06 with fellow sophomore Daniel Pantoja in 35th at 21:11. Sophomore Ricky Diaz III would complete the Hartnell scoring in 58th (21:31). Freshman Jesse Blanco was right behind in his state championship debut in 62nd (21:33). Joshua Riley (22:36) rounded out the team. 

In addition to Deniz moving to second all-time, Benito goes to seventeenth becoming one of just twenty one Hartnell men to ever run the course in under 21 minutes. Jose Velaquez is twenty-sixth all-time with Pantoja twenty-eighth. Jesse Blanco also moves into the top 50 all-time in Hartnell history. With Benito and Blanco returning with state championship experience in 2023, the Panthers will be in consideration for another top five team finish.