Oak Park cross country blazing a path to glory

The boys’ and girls’ cross country teams at Oak Park High are already off and running into the 2005 season, looking to take the Tri-Valley League title and make a strong showing at this year’s state meet.

The Eagles performed well at the Seaside Invitational at San Buenaventura State Beach Park– Ventura County Fairgrounds, the Oak Park/Agoura Invitational at Oak Canyon Park and the Stanford Invitational on the university golf course adjacent to Palo Alto.

Next is the Clovis Invitational on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m., on the same Woodward Park course in Fresno where the State Championships will be run on Nov. 26.

After Saturday’s meet, Oak Park will run in a TVL meet against the host Fillmore Flashes on Wednesday beginning at 3:15 p.m.

Head coach Kevin Smith, happy with how the season has gone so far, said the coaches are working with the student-athletes in several new ways this season.

“We are trying to add to our program with more core strength,” he said. “This is an area of weakness among our athletes. We’re increasing the miles we run. Regrettably, we hover around a low of 40 miles a week.”

Junior Anthony Pondella ran a 15:31 on the Seaside Park 3.05-mile course and sophomore Evan Henessey was another Oak Park runner who led the boys’ team.

Sophomore Courtney Lightfoot, who ran an 18:06, paced the girls’ team. Junior Bree Strenkowski’s time was 18:21. Senior Kelsey Connor and sophomore Marissa Diehl also had excellent performances for Oak Park.

In the Oak Park/Agoura Invitational, senior Tyler Fox ran 17:24, a course personal record, to finish fifth in the boys’ varsity division in his final race at Oak Canyon. Connor ran 20:02 to complete a 12-3 sweep in the varsity run in her final race at Oak Canyon.

Pondella finished in sixth place in the varsity boys Division 3 race with a 16:24 time on Stanford’s 5,000-meter course. Oak Park teammates were Fox, 31st, 17:05; sophomore Doug Bettisworth, 58th, 17:39; junior Andrew Parrone, 91st, 18:07; junior Jordan Rankell, 114th, 18:33, and junior Ryan Rickard, 142nd, 19:03.

Top runner at Stanford’s varsity girls’ Division 3 race for the Eagles was Lightfoot, fourth place, 19:04. Next were Strenkowski, seventh, 19:19; Diehl, 11th, 19:50; Connor, 16th, 20:02; senior Ashley Stalzer, 25th, 20:34; senior Angela Gonzalez, 34th, 20:54, and junior Jessica Martin, 91st, 22:23.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s Clovis Invitational, Parrone said that it is the kind of course that a runner has to be able to run on every kind of terrain.

“It’s flat and there are some pretty big hills,” Parrone said. “Overall it’s a challenging course because it is 5K. You have to run a little longer than some courses that are shorter like three miles.”

Gonzalez said to run in the Clovis meet is good preparation for the state meet.

“It’s the weekend that we bring in our freshmen and rookies and remind ourselves of the things we have to do at certain parts of the course.”

Smith said the Clovis Invitational is geared mostly towards younger athletes. “What is the course, what is the environment of the state championship area and how do you travel? How do you go on the road, Smith said, how do you behave and how do you conduct yourself and shine for your school?”

Senior Mark Pollack said that part of his preparation for running a course is to make sure he has a goal.

“We share it with the team so we don’t disappoint ourselves and don’t disappoint the team,” Pollack said. “The day before we usually talk about the course, the lay of the land and how to run the race, and when we get there we run warm-ups over the course so that we’ve actually been over it.”

As Smith evaluates the team, he anticipates that Pondella, Fox, sophomore Garrison Gourdeau and Bettisworth will be the key runners on the boys’ team.

This quartet is “going to define our season,” he said. But as to how, he added, “that part has not become clear yet. Injury, illness, consistency, youth and health, they’re in the mix too.”

In addition, Smith said that the team’s success will be bolstered by the development of other runners, including Rankell, Rickard and senior Hannes Prescher.

“This is possibly the best team we have ever had,” Smith said. “They have the perfect mentality of how to train, how to compete and how to conduct themselves.”

He said that the core of the girls’ team is expected to be Lightfoot, Strenkowski, Connor, Diehl and Stalzer.

“One of the great strengths of this (girls) team is the tremendous depth,” the coach said. “There’s at least eight more who are right in the mix.”

Oak Park will also run in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational at Walnut on Oct. 21, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

LET’S RUN—Members of the Oak Park girls’ cross country team take to the track last month during the squad’s annual pancake breakfast. The Eagles are back in action Saturday at the Clovis Invitational.