Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008

Richland girls, Southridge's Gonzales take 2nd at Richland Invite

By Kevin Anthony, Herald staff writer

RICHLAND -- All Andrew Gonzales wanted to do was get out fast, run hard and push the pace under 15 minutes.

If that wasn't enough to win the Richland Invitational, then so be it.

The always-upbeat Southridge senior did all those things Saturday afternoon at Carmichael Middle School, and indeed, turning in the second-fastest time ever run on this course wasn't enough to hold off the top runner from the nation's top cross country team.

North Central senior Andrew Kimpel and his Indians teammates chased Gonzales for the better part of 3 miles and even traded the lead a few times before Kimpel finally put the race away in the final 400 meters. His time of 14 minutes, 57 seconds was 2 seconds better than Gonzales and 2 seconds better than the previous course record.

For complete meet results, see John Crawford's site.

"I am thrilled," said Gonzales, who completed a grueling three weeks that included placing sixth in the elite Stanford Invite in California and winning Sunfair in Yakima. "I went out to go win it. I felt great.

"I was pushing the pace faster and faster, and having Andrew Kimpel behind makes me go even faster."

North Central, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Dyestat.com, breezed to its second straight title. Kimpel was followed closely by teammates Jeff Howard (third), Leon Dean (fourth) and Ben Johnston (sixth) in the Indians' 39-point effort, less than half the 82 points scored by second-place Jackson. Mead was a distant third. Southridge was the top local team, finishing sixth.

Kamiakin placed 10th, and Richland was 12th. The Braves' Evan Fiske and Anthony Armstrong finished 16th and 17th, respectively, at 15:47.

On the girls side, Davis senior Shawna Schooley upset teammate Sandra Martinez, finishing ahead of the race favorite by seven seconds in 18:21.

Richland's Maggie Jones led a strong local contingent and a charge by the Bombers for their first title in their own invite since 1990. They came up short, though, finishing second by 18 points to Seattle Prep, which placed three runners in the top 10.

"We expected to win," said Jones, Richland's irrepressible, demonstrative first-year runner. "We don't just belong here, we live here."

Hanford's Erin Hegarty finished seventh (18:56), followed by Richland's Emily Hazen (ninth, 19:00). Pasco's Marisa Vander Malle (14th, 19:07), Richland's Caitlin Parker (19th, 19:16) and Kamiakin's Stephanie Rexus (21st, 19:17) also placed in the top 25 of the 172-runner field. Kamiakin and Hanford finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

Schooley led almost from the start, which surprised even her.

"I was expecting to be at least third or fourth, maybe even farther back," said Schooley, noting she had not beaten a healthy Martinez since their freshman year. "I just felt good."

Gonzales also felt good, knowing that there really wasn't any more he could do to hold off Kimpel. He led from the start, with the NC pack and Hermiston's Jordan Ringe on his heels.

Ringe maintained the pace of the leaders for half the race, then dropped out for unspecified reasons.

"It just didn't happen today," said his coach, Jake Puzey. "He had high expectations. That race was going 20 seconds per mile faster than his race last week. He didn't realize he would have to run with those guys; he's pretty much run away with most races."

Gonzales was alone with the North Central runners the rest of the race, a decided advantage for Kimpel.

"Seeing those three other guys with me really pushes me," said Kimpel, who has yet to settle on a college but plans to stay in the Northwest. "Gonzales and me, we always push each other."

"It's always me and him, and it always comes down to the last 400 meters," Gonzales said of his friendly rivalry with the Spokane runner. "If I got to get beat by someone, I guess I'm glad it's him."

Richland Invite

Carmichael MS (3 miles)

Boys Division 1

Team scores--North Central 39, Jackson 82, Mead 138, Seattle Prep 144, Lewis & Clark 247, Southridge 263, University 269, Eisenhower 273, Bothell 284, Kamiakin 316, Cheney 345, Richland 350, Lake Stevens 397, Davis 399, Snohomish 403, Nathan Hale 403, Walla Walla 411, Eastmont 425, Shadle Park 426, Camas 478, Wenatchee 489, Mountlake Terrace 545, Ellensburg 559, Marysville-Pilchuck 568, Hanford 578, Moses Lake 654.

Top 10--Andrew Kimpel (NC) 14:57; Andrew Gonzales (SR) 14:59; Jeff Howard (NC) 15:04; Leon Dean (NC) 15:15; Drew O'Donoghue-McDonald (SP) 15:27; Ben Johnston (NC) 15:29; Emmanuel Contreras (Dav) 15:30; Ben Lance (Jack) 15:36; Jordan Baker (Mead) 15:37; Jordan Curnutt (Mead) 15:38.

Local Top 100: Southridge--31, Colby Cravens 16:06; 42, Kyle Sturdefant 16:19; 70, Casey Singleton 16:44. Kamiakin--16, Evan Fiske 15:47; Anthony Armstrong, 15:47; 53, Charles Lisle 16:28. Richland--27, Caleb Parker 16:03; 50, Ben Fussner 16:25; 68, Nathan Schweiger 16:42. Walla Walla--32, Aaron Nelson 16:07; 73, Robby Walla 16:47; 97, Andres Torres 17:00. Hanford--79, Albert Rodriguez 16:50. Moses Lake--78, David Asfour 16:50. Pasco--36, Peter Gilbert 16:16. Kennewick--48, Ty Schoenwald 16:24.

Boys Division 2

Team scores--Hermiston 61, North Central 65, Sunnyside 105, East Valley (Yak) 136, Richland 174, Snohomish 206, Wilson 215, Mountlake Terrace 260, Wenatchee 270, Walla Walla 300, Deer Park 313, West Valley (Yak) 328, Tri-Cities Prep 340, Eastmont 349, Lake Stevens 371, Grandview 396, Baker 446, Hanford 452, Seattle Academy 463, Connell 492, Othello 529.

Top 10--Alex Johnson (SA) 16:18, Mason Yates (EV) 16:35, Reggie Peone (DP) 16:45; Sam Wick (Herm) 16:46; Jonathan Larson (Herm) 16:46; Jacob Rogers (SS) 16:47; Eduardo Torres (Wap) 16:53; Jordan Ginn (NC) 16:57; Spencer Wordell (NC) 17:03.

Local Top 100 Varsity: Hermiston--13, Andrew Valdez 17:08; 16, Juan Delgado 17:14; 26, Antonio Ortiz 17:34; 59, Francisco Cancino 18:16; 83, Roberto Madera 18:39. Sunnyside--11, Jose Alberto Sanchez 17:04; 14, Gracen Gonzalez 17:09; 39, Osbaldo Arroyo 17:53; 46, Parick Watts 18:00; 72, Kennedy Sarmiento 18:30. Tri-Cities Prep--44, Nick Lumetta 17:59; 56, Ryan Mercado 18:14; 79, Daniel Foust 18:37; 95, Nick Tudor 18:49; 96, Nick Fong 18:50. Grandview--18, Jose Mendez 17:18; 24, Koty Kollmar 17:33. Connell--23, Jacob Coulson 17:32. Othello--70, Eduardo Montes 18:29. Pasco--29, Matt Sturtevant 17:36; 41, Daniel Ramirez 17:55; 73, Rainer Luhrs 18:30. Kennewick--31, Garrett Brim 17:36.

Girls Division 1

Team scores--Seattle Prep 87, Richland 105, Davis 121, Jackson 146, Bellarmine Prep 215, Kamiakin 238, Hanford 241, Lewis & Clark 266, Snohomish 272, University 315, Camas 328, Wenatchee 359, Eisenhower 360, West Valley (Yak) 366, North Central 370, Nathan Hale 377, East Valley (Spo) 379, Deer Park 384, Marysville-Pilchuck 405, Cheney 417, Lake Stevens 455, Southridge 463, Mountlake Terrace 571.

Top 10--Shawna Schooley (Dav) 18:21; Sandra Martinez (Dav) 18:28; Carey Parker (SP) 18:32; Alison Ponce (Jack) 18:37; Laura Sauvage (SP) 18:40; Maggie Jones (Rich) 18:46; Erin Hegarty (Han) 18:56; Julia Freeburg (BP) 18:59; Emily Hazen (Rich) 19:00; Krista Beyer (SP) 19:00.

Top 100 Local: Richland--19, Caitlin Parker 19:16; 36, Katie Mahoney 19:45; 43, Annie McDonald 19:51; 57, Laurel Burrup 20:08; 83, Jocelyn Grindstaff 20:37; 89, Ariel Townsend 20:42 (unattached). Kamiakin--20, Stephanie Rexus 19:17; 45, Fallon Berglin 19:53; 48, Rachel Gerboth 19:55; 63, Kaylee Brooks 20:15; 81, Sydney Blaser 20:35. Hanford--41, Haley Tank 19:50; 62, Kate Thomas 20:14; 75, Megan Dart 20:26; 77, Leilani Anderson 20:29. Southridge--54, Emily Butler 20:04; 85, Sara Worman 20:39. Pasco--14, Marisa Vander Malle 19:07; 30, Janette Rodriguez 19:31. Walla Walla--34, Denali Molitor 19:38; 68, Emma Burgess 20:19. Hermiston--35, Cristal Delgado 19:39.

Girls Divison 2

Team scores--Hermiston 59, Eastmont 85, Wilson 86, Richland 137, East Valley (Yak) 149, Wapato 151, University 159, Ellensburg 186, Baker 220, Lewis & Clark 241, Tri-Cities Prep 251.

Top 10--Samantha Blodgett (Wap) 19:41; Kimberly Macias (Herm) 19:54; Shayla Maupin (SA) 20:04; Loreal McGee (Wil) 20:06; Charlie Fiander (Wap) 20:07; Bekah Waterhouse (Emt) 20:08; Jocelyn Yanez (SS) 20:14; Jadie Wick (Herm) 20:39; Alicia Desmarais (Jack) 20:49; Azayla Alvarado (EVY) 20:54.

Top 100 Local: Hermiston--15, Kelsey Trotter 21:11; 18, Elise St. Hilaire 21:17; 32, Marissa Worstell 21:50; 33, Cynthia Ascencio 21:51; 34, Makenzie Cody 21:55; 50, Gwen St. Hilaire 22:52. Tri-Cities Prep--51, Elizabeth Ahlers 22:53; 55, Erika Cole 23:07; 71, Monica Powers 23:46; 74, Helen-Mary Roach 24:01; 78, Laura Hylden 24:19. Moses Lake--20, Kristin Budiselich 21:18; 47, Amy Cromer 22:36. Sunnyside--26, Marlene Manzo 21:39; 92, Daisy Rodriguez 25:32. Kennewick--30, Alexis Klippert 21:48; 36, Hannah Freier 22:00; 61, Katie Hempel 23:24; 63, Angelique Whistocken 23:28. Pasco--40, Olivia Anderson 22:19; 41, Monica Garcia 22:19. Othello--93, Yesenia Roman 26:22; 94, Meaghan Logan 30:31; 95, Perla Avina 30:31; 96, Araceli Flores 30:55.