November 16, 2004

Nationals await Mesa's finest

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Straughmatt

MCC’s Jacob Hayes (center) leads the men out of the gate at Pavilion Lakes golf course and finished first for the Thunderbirds with a time of 28:05.72. Mesa failed to secure a national birth as a team.

Friday afternoon on Oct. 29, MCC’s Cross Country team met at Pavilion Lakes golf course with a bittersweet ending to the day. Katie Forkner and Chloe Young-Bloom secured their placements for the upcoming NJCAA National Championship to be held in El Paso, Tex., with a respective 14th and 15th place, while the men’s team had a disappointing run for the day.
A number of factors contributed to a difficult competition. The course lines were washed out for the practice day because of the previous day’s downpour causing uncertainty. Runners literally trudged through the mud. “I was a little confused at first because I didn’t know exactly where I was running. We couldn’t see the lines yesterday and so I was following people,” commented Forkner.
Two Thunderbirds had injuries, one recovering and one occurring at the meet. Still, the girls exhibited some of their best times.
Forkner made it across the finish line at 18:51.55, a personal record (knocking 42 seconds off her time) and Bloom obtaining her spot at 19:00.8, after returning from a hamstring injury. The NJCAA Half Marathon Championships will be held Sunday, Nov. 21, at Butler County Community College in Wichita, Kan.
Seth Lagerhausen, leading the men’s team this semester, injured his calf during the race holding him from the top 15, as he was projected to finish. “Everyone has a bad race,” replied teammate Jacob Hayes who came in first for the Thunderbirds at 28:05.72. Before the meet, Lagerhausen had expressed the jitters, but without resolve, “I’m a little nervous since all this training leads up to this day, but I’m confident that we’ll all do well and I think I’ll lead my team.”
Brennik Maxwell was happy to see the girls perform as expected. “I feel pretty confident that we’re going to peak at the right time and we’re going to turn a lot of heads when we do it,” said Maxwell just before the race. Maxwell will also be competing in the half-marathon with Lagerhausen and unattached runners Calvin Fife and Chris DeShazo. Forkner will also be there with Sara Johnson and Laci Stradling.
The NJCAA Region I Championships were held at the Pavilion Lakes Golf Club in Scottsdale near SCC. The event was sponsored by Paradise Valley’s junior college, who also dominated both the men’s and women’s race as a team, while Central Arizona followed close behind. The first runner in for the men was Central Arizona’s Obed Mutanya, with an impressive 24:10.49 barefooted.
Those teams that secured a national spot in El Paso, in Chamizal National Memorial were women’s — Paradise Valley with a cumulative time of 1:32:54.81, Central Arizona, 1:33:59.75, Yavapai College, 1:34:32.25, Scottsdale Community College, 1:35:56.74, and Pima Community College at 1:39:49.70. The Thunderbird girls going to El Paso will hopefully secure another All American Cross Country Title. MCC placed 6th as a team in both races.
The men’s teams were Paradise Valley at 2:07:46.34, Central Arizona, 2:08:00.50, Pima CC, 2:11:57.49, Gateway CC, 2:15:19.95, and Glendale CC with 2:15:59.81. Coach Clyde Resendez said, “The whole year leads up to this day and I’m confident they will perform.” He and his wife, Michelle, had their hopes on securing a team spot for the National Championship, but they are still ready for El Paso as they enter Bloom and Forkner to run with top runners from all over the country.