Hartnell Men Upset State Champion American River College
The American River College men's cross country team has had a strangle hold over the Northern California title for the last eight years and has stood on the top podium as team champions at the CCCAA State Championship four of the last five years. Their recent unbeaten streak against regional competition stretches back to 2009 but that ended on Saturday at the Fresno Invitational. The competition also serves as the state preview meet at Woodward Park. The Hartnell College men's team came within one point last weekend of upsetting the Beavers and came into this week's larger competition feeling confident and prepared for another assault. This time it was not as close with the Panthers taking second overall as a team with 64 points and besting their regional rival's score of 94 points. The Panthers tied Glendale College, who soundly beat them two weeks ago at the Oxnard Invitational, but broke the tie based on head to head comparison of the first five finishers for each team. Mt. San Antonio College, last year's state runner-up team, won the meet with a low score 44 points and will take over the top ranking as a result with the Panthers now second.
Sophomore Edgar Bonilla shook the racing rust off last week with his fourth place finish at the regional preview meet. This week, in a close competition with five runners over the last mile, the former King City Mustang used his previous meet experience over the Woodward Park layout from both high school and last year to perfectly time his final move that propelled him to his biggest victory of his Hartnell College career. Bonilla took the win by one second 21:06 to Glendale College runner Shane Thompson at 21:07. Thompson was the overall winner at the Oxnard Invitational where Bonilla did not compete.
On the women's side Cuesta's Miranda Daschian took first place, three seconds ahead of runner-up Giselle Masedo from Glendale. The Glendale Community College women took the team title with five of their runners placing in the top nine finishers.