sequoia xc 2011
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Bay Area Running Camp Huge Success
Sequoia Cross Country Times August 15, 2011
Chris Hunter and Cole Dunbar as well as incoming freshman Eamonn Carson. The one uniting
factor was the wealth of information present which enhanced the way each runner was able to
approach the sport: from training tips to nutrition to bonding activities, each camper left the
week ready to improve this coming season.
importance of rest and recovery during training. Nutritionist Clyde Wilson also spoke at the
camp, emphasizing the importance of diet during the season, while head coaches representing
bay area powerhouses St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart Cathedral, and Campolindo spoke to the
runners about what other cross country programs do to be successful. Santa Clara University
runners led a panel discussion on running in college, while also acting as the camp counselors.
During the first week of August,
members of the Sequoia cross country
team met in Portola Valley to attend
the inaugural Bay Area Running Camp.
Taking place in the mornings of August
1st through August 5th, camp members
were exposed to a variety of activities,
speakers and training opportunities.
Seven members of the Sequoia squad
were present – all representing a
variety of skill and experience levels.
Veteran performers Manny Avila, Gaia
Bouchard-Hall, and Zoe Kriegler-Wenk
were joined by rising stars Ty Dewes,
Between 40-50 athletes joined the
Sequoia elite at the camp, which was run by
former Stanford Women’s Cross Country coach
Dena Evans, and Crystal Springs Uplands coach
Albert Caruana. Campers enjoyed a variety of
training runs along the Portola Valley trails, and
stretching techniques were provided by Mark
Fadil of the Sports Medicine Institute. Stanford
Olympian and All-American Grant Robison
provided form evaluation and improvement
techniques, while former teammate and fellow
All-American Adam Tenforde lectured on the
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Varsity Raises Standard in 2011 Debut
Sequoia Cross Country Times September 14, 2011
The team finished in sixth place out of 17 league schools -- an improvement of three spots from
their CCS-qualifying finish from a year ago. This finish tied a program-best, as only one other male
Sequoia team had finished this well since the league expanded to 17 schools in 1996. Hill and Dewes
were able to average a 5:45 mile average on the day.
Exactly one year ago, then-junior Laetitia Chatelain finished 3rd for the Sequoia Girl's Varsity with a
time of 19:11. In this 2011 season opener Kate Boudreau, the team's 7th place finisher, finished in
the time of 19:16. In fact, the spread of all scoring members from Bouchard-Hall through Pokorny
was a mere 1 minute and 12 seconds.
The Girls Varsity team finish of 7th overall is the highest placing by any female girls team in Sequoia
Cross Country program history.
The entire squad of 50+ athletes takes the field at Golden Gate Park on Saturday 9/17 for the season
opening invitational hosted by Lowell High School. Races begin at 9:00am.
In the early stages of the season it's rare to find success right away. After a summer of
conditioning and a spring track season which saw drastic improvement however, this cross country
season has been established as being something special for the Sequoia faithful.
The day began under perfect conditions at Half Moon Bay High School with the Varsity Boys
starting things off. Seniors Kevin Hill and Manny Avila led the team through the first mile mark in
5:30 -- when surprising sophomore Ty Dewes picked up the pace and pushed the team right in
time for Cougar Hill, one of the most formidable challenges any team will face this season.
Undaunted however, the remaining varsity members of Philip Barron, Nickie Pucel, Warren Van
Velkinburgh and Jesse Boyle continued to press on. When the dust settled, five of the seven varsity
boys had run lifetime bests for the course, with Dewes, Hill and Boyle taking off nearly a minute
each from their previous best time.
For the girls, the story of the day was new-found
team chemistry. Junior Gaia Bouchard-Hall once
again led the varsity team, fresh off her all-league
performance from a year ago. Close on her heels
was teammate and new addition Sophia Bolte,
while classmate Mariah Driver followed one spot
away. Ladies sophomore captain Zoe Kriegler-
Wenk was not far behind, while junior Julia
Pokorny rounded out the scoring for the team.
Girls 800m school-record holder Alex Bliss
improved on her time, while sophomore Kate
Boudreau closed out the team in her first cross
country performance.
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Entire Team Best - No Stopping Sequoia Roll!
Sequoia Cross Country Times September 21, 2011
The day opened under sunny skies, with the boys
freshman team finishing 11th out of 20, with Tyler
Beth and Ismael Avila finishing first and second for
the squad.
Closely following was the girls frosh-soph team
with a statement from girl’s captain Zoe Kriegler-
Wenk and the unheralded arrival of freshman
Marcy Digel. Overall the girls finished 12th out of
17 schools, with Kriegler-Wenk and Digel finishing
in 16:17 and 16:19 respectively for the 2.l3 mile
course.
The fireworks really got going with the sophomore
boy’s race. Ty Dewes tore through the field with
the blazing mark of 12:36 for 2.13 miles, an
average of 5:55 per mile. Dewes finished second
overall in the race. Sophomore teammate Chris
Hunter finished second for the squad with a
personal best of 13:38, with Alain Barron finishing
third for the team 26 seconds later. Jakob Winberg
and Alex Lazich rounded out the scoring for the
team, which finished 6th out of 16 schools.
All three frosh-soph squads finished with top
program finishes at the Lowell Meet. No other
sub-varsity team had ever done as well
historically.
The Boys and Girls Cherokee Cross Country
Teams both headlined in their first meet as a
complete unit – fighting in the Lowell San
Francisco Invitational on Saturday September
17th.
Amongst the terrific team performances across
the board (under record-setting conditions) was
a plethora of individual talent which unleashed
itself. Among them was 2nd Sophomore overall
Ty Dewes, and 4th Junior overall Nickie Pucel.
Both varsity squads received sectional
recognition for their efforts.
Page 2 September 21, 2011
The varsity and junior varsity teams carried the momentum into the early afternoon.
Junior Nickie Pucel took an early lead in the boys JV race and finished 4th overall in his fastest
race to date. Pucel had this to say about the experience: “The race was awesome. Being in first
in the beginning was a strange, lonely feeling. For the last part of the race I really had to fight
my body with my mind to tell myself to keep going – and I don’t think I’ve ever had as big a
second wind as I did at the end of that race.”
Pucel was joined at the top by
Aaron Jacobson and Julian O’Hara, who
ran the 5th and 7th fastest times for the
team on the 2.93 mile course – in
18:13 and 18:27 respectively. Warren
Van Velkinburgh, Alex Valencia and
Alex Ruhlman rounded out the scoring
all under 19 minutes, where the team
finished 5th out of 16 teams.
Nickie Pucel sprints to the
finish in the boys JV 2.93 mile race on Saturday. His time of 17:00 was good enough for 3rd fastest on the
team and 4th fastest in the race.
Varsity Dominate Lowell in Unprecedented Fashion
For the first time in a number of years the Boys Varsity Team was made up entirely of
seniors. Senior Manny Avila ran the fastest time of the day for the Sequoia boys, reclaiming his
top spot on the leader board. Avila’s time of 16:44 was the fastest time he has ever run in any
cross country race to date, and is an encouraging look at his potential for this season.
Not far behind was classmate Kevin Hill, who crossed the line in 17-flat for the course in an
astounding 1 minute 2 second improvement over his time from last year. Philip Barron finished
a mere 12 seconds behind Hill for 3rd on the team. Jesse Boyle was the boy’s fourth finisher in
what was the fastest race of his career in 18:27 also an improvement of a minute over his
previous best. Newcomer soccer star Jose Avalos ran in his first cross country race in
stunning fashion – finishing in 18:30 and rounding out the scoring. Chris McCreddin finished in
18:49, and Leo Alcala closely followed. This performance allowed Sequoia to finish 9th out of
20 schools.
The varsity girls also finished strong. Junior Gaia Bouchard-Hall finished 28th overall in a time
of 20:22, with fellow-juniors Mariah Driver and Sophia Bolte finishing less than a minute later
in 21:13 and 21:15 respectively. Julia Pokorny ran 22:03 to close in 4th for the team, while
senior Laetitia Chatelain finished in 24:56 rounding out the scoring. Alyssa Bliss was the final
finisher for the varsity squad with over a minute improvement from last year. The team
finished 12th out of 24.
The Sequoia XC teams will journey to Westmoor High School for the Ram Invite on the 24th.
Fast Times Continue at Ram Invitational
Sequoia Cross Country Times September 28, 2011
The fresh-soph girls team, which was running
incomplete without a 5th scoring member,
nonetheless struck gold when top finisher Marcy
Diegel completed the race in 22nd place overall.
Behind her came Kate Boudreau, who lowered her
mile average to under 8 minutes for the first time
this season. Rounding out the squad was sophomore
Claire Spickermann, and freshman Cara Green, who
both displayed admirable determination in finishing
the course for the first time.
The sophomore boys were once again paced by
standout sophomore Ty Dewes, whose remarkable
5:45 per mile average in the race helped him finish
3rd overall in his race while battling for second the
entire way. His time of 13:48 was the second-
fastest on the team for the day. Behind Dewes, Chris
Hunter finished 26th overall and only 1:14 later.
Alain Barron, Galdino Bravo and Jakob Winberg
rounded out the scoring, all finishing under 6:38 per
mile for the course. The team finished an incredible
5th out of 19 schools in the race.
The junior varsity boys took to the course next,
where the top four finishers: Aaron Jacobson, Julian
O'Hara, Alex Ruhlman, and Warren Van Velkinburgh
all medaled and finished within 12 seconds of each
other. Danny Yan, the teams 5th place scorer,
helped the team finish 5th out of 16 schools.
On a foggy day in Daly City, the Sequoia Cross Country Teams took to the Westmoor 2.4 mile
course in their 2nd meet this season. Underneath this veil of clouds were the blazing fast times
of nine medalists, as members of every team continued Sequoia's streak of improvement.
Starting the day off was 13th place overall finisher Tyler Beth, who improved his place on the
squad by bettering nearly 75 other freshman runners in the freshman boys race. Rounding out
the freshman boys team was Ismael Avila, Ben Morrison, Charlie Utecht and Eamonn Carson, who
all reunited for the second time this season to help the team finish 7th out of 15 schools. Sixth
place team finisher Jeremy Woodbury continued to improve his time, this week by dropping
nearly 40 seconds per mile in his race.
Page 2 September 28, 2011
Boys captain and Sequoia Junior Warren Van
Velkinburgh had this to say about the
performance of the JV boys: “It felt like we
really worked together as a team, all pushing
each other to be the best we could be!”
The junior varsity girls, who ran as a trio
with Alex Bliss, Laetitia Chatelain, and Alyssa
Bliss all demonstrated terrific improvement
over a year ago. For the Bliss sisters - their
times 18:17 and 19:53 were both over two
minutes faster than their time from last
year’s meet. Alex Bliss finished a remarkable
10th overall in her race, her highest finish
for a cross country meet in her career.
Varsity Continue to Impress, Top Times at Westmoor
The varsity girls, who ran as the minimum five finishers to qualify as a team; all finished within
one minute and 26 seconds of each other - a remarkable spread, despite the health of multiple
athletes being less than 100%. Junior Gaia Bouchard-Hall once again paced the team, finishing
the course in 16:39. Classmate Mariah Driver was 24 spots behind in 17:22, with captain Zoe
Kriegler-Wenk, Sophia Bolte, and Julia Pokorny rounding out the team. The team finished 13th
out of 30 squads.
The varsity boys, who were paced by senior standout Manny Avila, finished 13th overall out of
35 teams. Avila's time of 13:35 was the fastest for the team on the day--and was the fastest
time that he had run in his career. Classmate Philip Barron closely followed in 14:05, with
junior Nickie Pucel in 14:16 8 spots behind. Seniors Jose Avalos, and Jesse Boyle completed
the team scoring with times of 14:43 and 14:59 respectively.
These performances have put Sequoia on the map, earning sectional rankings for both boys
and girls. Next week on October 1st, the Cherokee Cross Country Teams will compete at the
Artichoke Invitational at Half Moon Bay High School.
Artichoke Invitational Produces More Personal-Bests
Sequoia Cross Country Times October 06, 2011
Under sunny skies the Sequoia Cross Country Teams
took to the Half Moon Bay High School Course on
Saturday October 1st, for the Artichoke Invitational.
While the boy's varsity ran as an incomplete unit and
the girl's varsity was missing a key component in
athlete Mariah Driver, the times nonetheless reflected
all the hard work the Cherokees have been putting it
this season.
The freshman boys started off the day with yet
another impressive finish by freshman Tyler Beth,
whose time of 14:46 was good enough for 9th overall in
the race, while he led the team by nearly 1:30 over the
next Sequoia boy across the line in Ismael Avila,
whose time of 16:04 was good enough for a top-30
finish overall. Finishing in third was Charlie Utecht in
16:28, a freshman whose continued improvement thus
far this season has been quite an amazing story. 40
seconds later came classmate Eamonn Carson, with
Ben Morrison rounding out the scoring five with a 51st
place finish overall. Their score was good enough for
5th place out of 12 teams.
Following the boys came the fresh-soph girls team. Once again running incomplete, Marcy Digel proved
yet again that depth was not a hindrance as she finished 30th overall in a time of 18:13. Kate Boudreau
finished next on the squad with a new personal-best in 19:13, with Cara Green and Claire Spickermann
also running one of their fastest races yet this season. Each girl on this squad has shown incredible drive
to improve every meet.
Up next came the sophomore boys. Ty Dewes once again led the pack in a blazing 13:39. His performance,
clocked at 5:52 mile pace put him 11th overall in the race. Not far behind was classmate Chris Hunter,
whose time of 14:44 placed him 46th overall. 35 seconds later came Alain Barron, with a surprise
resurgence of Galdino Bravo and Neil Chan in 15:53 and 15:57 respectively. Sequoia's finish in 11th place
beat teams such as Galielo, Alisal, Castro Valley and Woodside.
The varsity boys followed suit by running the fastest times of the day. Senior Manny Avila, coming into
the meet running two of the fastest times the past two meets, once again demonstrated his abilities by
finishing the Artichoke course in 13:14. Close behind in another personal-best time was classmate Kevin
Hill who finished ten seconds later in 13:24. Nickie Pucel was the final varsity runner under 14 minutes,
with another personal best in 13:43. Jesse Boyle rounded out the varsity effort. Running incomplete for the
first time all season, the Cherokees still managed to place three runners in the top 50 finishers out of all
20 varsity teams.
Page 2 October 06, 2011
Hot on the heels of the varsity boys came the varsity girls, who also ran phenomenally.
Gaia Bouchard-Hall led the way with her time of 15:59. Less than a minute later came Julia
Pokorny, who shocked the field by finishing second for the team. Zoe Kriegler-Wenk and
Sophia Bolte were 3rd and 4th for the squad in 17:11 and 17:21. Sisters Alex and Alyssa
Bliss closed out the scoring for the team, which finished 6th out of 16 teams.
The story of the day had to be the junior varsity boys team. All finishing within a minute of
each other, the squad was led by Julian O'Hara who ran the fourth fastest time for an
upperclassman in 14:37, finishing 20th overall. One spot later came Aaron Jacobson, who
finished in 14:40. Alex Ruhlman closed next in 14:48, with classmate Warren Van
Velkinburgh following in 15:01. Alex Valencia closed out the scoring in 15:21, finishing 41st
overall. The team finished a fantastic 4th out of 14 teams.
After their performances in Half Moon Bay, the Cherokees head to Crystal Springs Cross
Country Course to take on the other PAL teams on Tuesday October 11th.
Gaia Bouchard-Hall leads the way for the Cherokee girls, finishing the course in a personal-best 15:59, and finishing 16th overall. (left)
Alex Bliss finished 5th for the girls, who managed to beat Alisal, Monte Vista, Fremont and Mount Pleasant, among others. (left)
The team looks on, as junior varsity runs past. (right)
Girls Finish Fifth, Boys Sixth in Second League Meet
Sequoia Cross Country Times October 14, 2011
Under sunny skies and hot conditions in Belmont, the Sequoia cross country teams took to the
Crystal Springs course for the first time this season. In their first league meeting of the year the
boys finished sixth and the girls seventh to the other PAL schools -- yet on this day it was the
girls who demonstrated a will to win, moving up two positions, while the boys fought hard for
sixth, remaining in CCS contention.
The varsity boys led the day off with a remarkable finish, with four of the top five placing in
under 18 minutes for the course. Kevin Hill was the team's first place finisher in a blazing 17:37,
finishing 26th overall. Classmate Manny Avila finished one second later in 28th place, Ty Dewes
was third for the team in 17:55, with senior Philip Barron finishing in the same time one place
later. Junior Nickie Pucel was the team’s fifth man, running 18:24 for his debut on the course.
Senior Jose Avalos finished in sixth in 19:09, while Jesse Boyle rounded out the team as the
seventh and final finisher for the varsity team. The boys held sixth place as a team, losing to
Mills, the next closest opponent by only seven points.
The girls team carried the early momentum into their race. Junior Gaia Bouchard-Hall led the
team with a 21st overall finish and a time of 21:10. Mariah Driver followed closely with a time of
21:47 in 28th place, while Sophia Bolte finished next in 22:03. Julia Pokorny followed one second
behind, with Zoe Kriegler-Wenk closing out the scoring in 22:43. Alex Bliss and Alyssa Bliss were
the final finishers for the team in 24:43, and 26:49 respectively. The girls were able to move up
two spots, beating Westmoor and Mills for the first time this season in league play.
Page 2 October 14, 2011
The sophomore boys were next up on a day that did not feature any freshmen due to a school
field trip. Chris Hunter led the way with his time of 19:35, finishing 28th overall. Alain Barron
came next in 19:45, with classmate Jakob Winberg following in 20:43. Neil Chan and Carson
Predovich rounded out the scoring, running 20:53 and 21:30. The boys finished seventh overall
out of 17 schools.
The girls junior varsity was run as a limited three girl event, with Kate Boudreau, Laetitia
Chatelain and Claire Spickermann running for Sequoia. Boudreau finished with a time of 23:42 in
20th place overall in her debut on the course, with Chatelain running 26:29. Spickermann
finished in 28:17 for her first time running on the course.
The junior varsity team finished a surprising fourth out of 17 schools. Alex Ruhlman led the
way, running 19:36 and finishing 17th overall. Behind him came Alex Valencia in 19:38 one spot
later, followed by Warren Van Velkinburgh in 20:01 for 24th. Julian O'Hara and Chris McCreddin
rounded out the scoring in 20:02 and 20:45 respectively.
The Cherokees will run at Center Meet 2 a week from Thursday for their second appearance at
Crystal Springs. This performance puts both varsity teams in a great position to repeat as CCS
qualifiers for the first time in school history.
The Fastest Teams in School History
Sequoia Cross Country Times October 24, 2011
In only the second meet at Crystal Springs this season, the Cherokee Cross Country teams rose
to the occasion and performed at their highest level thus far. Manny Avila finished first for the
boys varsity with his time of 17:05, the 16th fastest time overall. In close pursuit came Kevin Hill
(17:21), Philip Barron (17:24), Nickie Pucel (17:31) and Ty Dewes (17:35).
The freshman boys finished third out of nine teams, led by Tyler Beth’s finish third overall in
18:57. Charlie Utecht (20:19), Ismael Avila (20:37), Ben Morrison (22:24), and Eamonn Carson
(22:34) rounded out the scoring. The sophomore boys finished fourth as a team, led by Chris
Hunter, Alain Barron and Galdino Bravo all breaking 20 minutes. Neil Chan (20:59) and Carson
Predovich (21:10) closed out the squad.
Three decades. That is the
length of time it has taken the Sequoia
Cross Country Program to improve
from a school-record mark set at the
1980 SPAL League Championships. On
Thursday, October 20th at Center Meet
2, it was a complete team effort which
yielded a historic performance from
not only the boys varsity, but from
every level of the team. Under sunny
skies and cool weather – the boys
varsity, girls varsity and boys junior
varsity reached new heights and
shattered years-old marks while
writing a new chapter to their story.
The previous school record of 87:28 was
set at the 1980 league championship, and had
stood until these performances. With a team
spread of merely 30 seconds, the varsity
finishers broke the previous record with their
time of 86:56. In addition to the magnificent
finish by the top five, the sixth place team finish
by classmate Jose Avalos in 18:12 was also a
new season-best. Jesse Boyle rounded out the
team with his time of 19:52. Their team finish
was good enough for third out of 16 schools.
The 1980 Sequoia Cross Country Team, coached by Lloyd Lease, held the boys and girls school records for more than three decades.
The new fastest team in school history, with Kevin Hill, Ty Dewes, Jose Avalos, Manny Avila, Nickie Pucel, Jesse
Boyle, and Philip Barron.
Page 2 October 24, 2011
In addition to the fastest varsity boys team in three decades, the junior varsity boys also scored
well. Led by Chris McCreddin finishing 9th overall, the first four finishers for the JV crew
finished under 19 minutes. Aaron Jacobson in 18:43 was 11th overall, followed by Alex Valencia
in 18:47, and Alex Ruhlman in 18:52, finishing in 13th place and 16th place respectively. Julian
O’Hara filled out the scoring for the team in 29th place, with Warren Van Velkinburgh and Leo
Alcala rounding out the squad.
The varsity girls – who have yet to run a race this season without improving as a cohesive unit
– once again broke the girls team record at Crystal Springs. Led once again by junior all-league
runner Gaia Bouchard-Hall in 20:59, the team finished a remarkable 5th out of 15 schools.
Junior’s Mariah Driver (21:03), Sophia Bolte (21:39), and Julia Pokorny (21:45) all finished in
under 22 minutes, while sophomore Zoe Kriegler-Wenk finished 45th overall with her time of
22:24. Senior Laetitia Chatelain finished in 24:22 to round out the team.
The frosh-soph girls team were led by sophomore Kate Boudreau, who finished just over 23
minutes in 23:05. Freshman Cara Green ran 26 minutes flat, while sophomore Claire
Spickermann finished in 28:56.
The Cherokees will look to improve even more next week as they take on the final Center Meet
at Crystal Springs on Thursday, October 27th. Races begin at 3:15pm.
Girls Finish 2nd Overall, Avila 20th
Fastest All-Time
Sequoia Cross Country Times October 30, 2011
With the remarkable performance by the girls team, the boys were not left without
records of their own. Amongst them came from leading senior Manny Avila, who ran a new
lifetime-best 16:50 with his finish 13th overall. Avila’s performance breaks him into the top 20 all
time for a Sequoia runner at the course.
Behind Avila came Kevin Hill, running a season-best 17:21 19th overall. On his heels was
classmate Philip Barron in 17:26, a pace of 5:55 per mile. Junior Nickie Pucel finished fourth for
the team in 17:53, while senior Jose Avalos rounded out the scoring in 18:12. Chris McCreddin
and Jesse Boyle rounded out the team.
The boys finished 4th as a team, beating 13 schools en-route to capping four PAL league
schools in the top four overall, joining Mills, Aragon and Half Moon Bay.
Under cool conditions on Thursday, the Cherokee Girls Cross Country Team did
something unheralded in the history of the program when they finished second overall at
Center Meet 3 at Crystal Springs. Led once again by all-league junior Gaia Bouchard-Hall, the
ladies finished two runners under 21 minutes while all five scorers paced 21:54 or better.
Bouchard-Hall ran a season-best 20:31, the 13th fastest time ever run at Crystal
Springs by a Sequoia female, while teammate Mariah Driver finished one spot behind in 20:44.
Coming in third for the team and 18th overall was Sophia Bolte, running a new season-best in
21:06. Close behind was Julia Pokorny in 21:24, with captain Zoe Kriegler-Wenk rounding out
the scoring with a new season-best 21:54, breaking the 22 minute barrier for the first time
all season. Laetitia Chatelain and Alyssa Bliss rounded out the varsity squad.
The girls managed to beat Aragon, Menlo School, Mills, Crystal Springs, Overfelt and
Notre Dame as well as 10 others with their performance.
Page 2 October 30, 2011
The rise of freshman Tyler Beth and sophomores Alain Barron and Chris Hunter was a
welcome improvement to the underclass squads. Hunter, with a season best time of 18:40,
finished sixth for the sophomore race, while classmate Alain Barron (18:55) broke into the
18’s as well for the first time this season, finishing 8th. Beth finished sixth overall for the
freshman with an improvement to 18:51. All three ran an average mile of 6:25 or better out
on the course.
The freshman team finished 4th overall out of 8 squads, with Charlie Utecht (20:54, 18th
overall), Eamonn Carson (21:42), Ben Morrison (21:50) and Jeremy Woodbury (22:57) scoring
for the team.
The sophomore boys fared equally well, also finishing 4th, this time out of 10 schools,
with Hunter and Barron leading Galdino Bravo, Neil Chan, and Carson Predovich with times of
20:21, 20:29 and 20:31 respectively.
The frosh-soph girls, paced by Kate Boudreau (23:29), ran Cara Green (26:33) and
Claire Spickermann (29:12) to new heights against a difficult field.
Varsity B – In a League of Their Own
A week removed from trouncing other Varsity A Squads with a dominating performance,
the Junior Varsity team once again scored big – landing their top 3 finishers in the top 23, with
all three under 19:30. Alex Ruhlman, Alex Valencia and Aaron Jacobson all ran 6:30 mile
averages or better, while classmates Julian O’Hara and Warren Van Velkinburgh finished for
the team which locked in sixth overall out of 11 schools.
Leading up to PAL Championships in one week, the JV squad as finished no worse than
sixth, and as high as third. Their 4th place finish two weeks ago caps a run of three
consecutive weeks beating other squads soundly.
One For The Ages! Untouchable History as Sequoia Repeats as CCS Qualifiers
Sequoia Cross Country Times November 5, 2011
The dream. The waiting 13 weeks. The countless miles. The team bonding. The sweat.
The tears. The endless statistics; formulas; graphs; charts; and data crunching. On Thursday,
November 3rd, 2011 the Sequoia Cherokee Cross Country Teams broke the records one final time
and ended the debate. This might be the most legendary Sequoia Cross Country squad of all time
– and it isn’t just because of the numbers on paper... the explosively calculated surge brought on
by every member of the team was a tangible quality at Crystal Springs for the League
Championships – and it cemented the legacy of this team forever.
40 members of the team ran season-bests. Nearly 90% of all the Sequoia athletes on
Thursday ran as fast as they ever have at Crystal Springs. Out of this success sprang top
finishes, historic placing amongst the program’s best teams all time, and more new records to
count on top of the many already set this season. Beginning with the 7 member Frosh-Soph Boys
team, three athletes ran faster than 18:30 and helped Sequoia finish sixth out of 17 league
schools. Next came the Frosh-Soph Girls, where Sequoia put its two underclassman, who set two
more personal bests – starting the day nine for nine. Following the girls came the Varsity Boys
race, where under championship conditions no Sequoia team has ever finished higher – placing its
top four boys at 17:16 or better. Following the boys came the Varsity Girls, where three girls ran
top-30 times all time and pushed the team to a historic high: 4th out of 17 schools, losing only to
Carlmont, Aragon and Half Moon Bay. Next came an unlimited Freshman Boys team, which scored
7th out of 17, followed by the unlimited Varsity B squad which nailed 4th overall. To finish the day,
doing something no Sequoia cross country team has ever done by qualifying both varsity teams to
CCS for back-to-back seasons, was the lone Sequoia senior girl, Laetitia Chatelain, with yet
another PR on the day, and a finish of 11th overall for the unlimited girls race.
Page 2 November 5, 2011
The day began under pristine running conditions: cloudy, misty and cool – with seven of
the best freshmen and sophomore runners toeing the line waiting for the 1:00pm start. Tyler Beth
(18:23), Chris Hunter (18:28) and Alain Barron (18:28) were ready to heed the call. Each runner
finished faster than ever before in 16th, 17th and 18th place respectively. At their backs was Jakob
Winberg (20:03), Neil Chan (20:05), Charlie Utecht (20:07) and Carson Predovich (20:17) who all
ran the race of their lives to seal all seven finishers in the top 50 of the field. The frosh-soph
squad finished 6th out of 17, missing 5th by only 5 points.
Cara Green and Claire Spickermann led solid efforts for the frosh-soph girls, with Green
equaling her best to the second, and Spickermann lowering her time by 50 seconds.
The varsity boys carried the momentum into their race. With Manny Avila coming through
the mile mark in 5:10, and the rest of the pack at 5:25 – the Sequoia boys were blazing a trail of
their own. Crossing the two-mile mark in 10:38, Avila knew he was on record pace. Finishing
with the 16th fastest time ever run at Crystal Springs for Sequoia in 16:46, his time was good for
30th overall. Not far behind came a screaming duo in Kevin Hill and Philip Barron in 17:09 and
17:10 respectively. Nickie Pucel was the fourth finisher for the team in 17:16, with Ty Dewes
closing in a new record of 17:34. Jose Avalos and Chris McCreddin, the sixth and seventh runners
for the team, finished in 18:22 and 18:23. The squad, which finished a record sixth, matched the
1999 boys team of the same placing despite being over nine minutes faster.
The varsity girls followed suit. Despite only 8 years experience running cross country
between the 5 varsity scorers, each set records of their own. Mariah Driver, who had not finished
first for Sequoia all season, ran the 13th fastest time in school history for the girls finishing ahead
of Gaia Bouchard-Hall in 20:12. Bouchard-Hall, who finished only two spots behind, ran the
second fastest race of her life when she crossed in 20:20. Julia Pokorny, who had never finished
under 21 minutes all season, ran 20:54 to place as Sequoia’s third girl. Captain Zoe Kriegler-
Wenk ran the fastest race of her life to finish in 21:08, while fifth scoring member Sophia Bolte
crossed in 21:16 to seal the victory. Kate Boudreau, only a sophomore, broke 23 minutes when
she crossed in 22:55, and junior Alyssa Bliss rounded out the team, improving 36 seconds from
her previous best. The girls finished 4th overall out of 17 schools – the highest finish any Sequoia
Cross Country Team has ever had at PAL Championships.
After the historic finishes of the first four races, the freshman boys were up next. Led by
Eamonn Carson, this squad managed to finish 7th out of 17 despite having two of the final finishers
in the race. Carson finished in 20:54, with Ben Morrison hot on his heels in 21:00. Third in for the
team came Jeremy Woodbury, who lowered his previous best by over a minute and 16 seconds.
The final two finishers, Mario Martinez and Shashi Obulasetty, also ran lifetime-bests for Crystal
Springs.
Page 3 November 5, 2011
The unlimited entries for the next-to-last race allowed the Cherokees to enter 16 entries
for the Varsity B Team, which had a string of remarkable season-bests as well. Led by Aaron
Jacobson in 13th overall, the top 5 runners all finished under 20 minutes. Jacobson’s time of 18:35
was three seconds faster than Alex Ruhlman, who finished three spots later. Senior Jesse Boyle
ended his racing career as the team’s third scorer – while junior Alex Valencia was less than 30
seconds behind him 32nd overall. The final scorer was junior Julian O’Hara, who crossed in 19:48,
while Galdino Bravo and Leo Alcala closed out the team in 39th and 43rd place respectively. 13 of
the 16 JV runners had season-bests while the team finished as high as any has ever for the
school – in 4th place overall out of 17 league teams.
The announcement of the varsity teams clinching a CCS berth for both boys and girls rang
out following the junior varsity boys race. This unparalleled achievement, a first for Sequoia, was
a goal of the squad 13 weeks prior to the championship, and ensures that both teams will compete
amongst the best in the peninsula when sectional championships arrive.
To close out the day however meant the running of Sequoia’s final girl. Laetitia Chatelain
lowered her time by nearly a minute when she finished 11th overall for the junior varsity girls and
ran the 45th and final season-best time for the team on the day. Chatelain’s finish capped a
historic meet, one which may never be repeated.
While the league championship was run under historic pretexts, the sectional championship
on Saturday, November 12 opens the final chapter. This league championship meet seals a season
which saw a record-number of runners, more than 88% of whom had never run faster at Crystal
Springs then they did this meet – paving the way for a varsity team to continue their run as one of
the fastest in the peninsula, and continue their run into the record-books.
CCS Caps Incredible Record-Breaking Season
Sequoia Cross Country Times November 15, 2011
On Saturday November 12, the Cherokee Cross Country Teams took to the Crystal Springs
course one final time, after qualifying for the sectional championship meet. Led by outstanding
performances yet again, the varsity boys and girls team wearing the black, purple and white of
Sequoia demonstrated the courage and dedication needed to embed the lasting legacy of this record-
breaking team.
The boys had the opportunity to run first. After running in Division II for the 2010 sectional
race, Sequoia as a high school was promoted to Division I based on increased enrollment. Against the
top competition of the likes of Bellarmine College Prep, Gunn, Wilcox, Silver Creek and in-league
adversaries Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont, Sequoia was looking to make its mark with its Division I
debut.
Manny Avila finished first for the squad – running a lifetime best of 16:38 and finishing 41st
overall. This time places him as the 13th fastest time in school history, and promotes him to the 8th
fastest individual to ever compete at Crystal Springs for Sequoia. Running like they have at their best
all season, the following three scorers for the team came in as a tightly-knit pack. Philip Barron, Ty
Dewes and Nickie Pucel all finished within a second of each other in times of 17:25, 17:25 and 17:26
respectively. As the fifth scorer, Kevin Hill finished with another top time in 17:40. Jose Avalos and
Chris McCreddin ended their season in fine fashion, as the sixth and seventh scorers for the squad.
The team finished 14th out of a Division I field of 24 schools.
Following the boys came the varsity girls. Once again, showing unprecedented improvement,
Mariah Driver finished first for the squad. Her time of 20:06, a season and lifetime best, ranks her as
the 12th fastest time in school history for Crystal Springs and was the 28th fastest time overall. With
another top time came Julia Pokorny in 20:49, finishing second for the team for only the second time
this season. Breaking 22 minutes was Sophia Bolte and Gaia Bouchard-Hall, the 3rd and 4th finishers
for the team, while Zoe Kriegler-Wenk rounded out the scoring with another solid time. Kate Boudreau
and Alyssa Bliss also ran for the team, which managed to finish 13th out of 25 schools.
These performances cap the remarkable progress these teams were able to make this season
and give great promise to what lies ahead for the future. After taking over the program two years ago
with 8 runners, this army of 50 is ready to create a legacy that will be contenders for years to come.
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