2017 Cross Country Schedule Released
The 2017 Hartnell College cross country is now released. This year's schedule will prep the Panthers for a series of championship home competitions at Toro Park. This fall, the Panthers will play host to the Coast Conference Championship on October 27 and Northern California Championship on November 3. The CCCAA State Cross Country Championship will be held on Saturday, November 18 at Woodward Park in Fresno.
The schedule will kick-off with the Panther's annual cross country team camp in conjunction with the College of the Redwoods Beat the Heat Invitational on August 26th. The team will take an additional day before and after the race to explore the beautiful Northern California coast. The Fresno Invitational will play host to the state championship preview and include many of the top programs in the state. Last's year top three placing men's teams placed in the top five at the state championship come the end of the season. For the first time ever, the Panthers will attend a meet hosted by Las Positas College on its Livermore campus. Las Positas College was the Northern California men's team runner-up in 2016. On September 21st, the Panthers will head to the City by the Bay and run in the Lou Vasquez Invitational at Golden Gate Park. The Panthers final preparation for the championship season will be their home invitational at Toro Park on October 6 and the Mt. SAC Invitational in Walnut. Last season, the men placed second to host Mt. SAC while enjoying their third ever individual winner in Edgar Bonilla. The ladies have placed as high as second in this highly competitive Southern California meet.
This year's men's team returns All-Coast Conference performer Christian Aldape along with six fellow sophomores Jaime Martinez, Sergio Coronel, Marcos Lopez, Adam Alnazer, Jonathan Saldana, and Ivan Pedraza, They will also have impactful runners Patrick Olson and Jacob Niles from the spring. There are several incoming freshmen looking to make an name for themselves lead by Alfredo Mejia, Jr., Luis Perez, and Isaias Rodriguez.
The Lady Panthers return more runners than any team in the state lead by Joceyln Cervantes, who lead freshman at last fall's state championship. She will be joined Yvette Tavarez, Leslie Oseguera, and Tanya Campos from last fall's team. They will also have Olivia Jimenez, Elizabeth Hernandez, and Christina Shimabukuro from the spring. New freshmen Monica Ruelas, Maria Aceves, and Lauryn Orozco along with several others give the Lady Panthers added depth.