Ladies Represent in Santa Rosa & Sacramento

A few Lady Wolves were spotted at the past two PA Cross Country races in Santa Rosa and in Sacramento.  On August 27th, the Empire Open in Santa Rosa was a good chance for runners to continue or start their racing season.  Lisa Renteria led the charge on this day with a new club best of 23:02 on the 3.43 mile course.  Both Aisha Kamala and Lyndsey Noble also notched some respectable times in their first XC outing in a few years.   - Complete Results -

In Sacramento, the River City Rebels hosted their first XC race over the Labor Day weekend.  One lone Wolf opened up her season on the very challenging 5k course.  Megan Glanville stopped the clock at 22:59 in her first cross country race in almost 7 years. - Complete Results -

Next up is the Golden Gate Open on Sunday 9/11.  The race is usually one of the biggest of the season because it is also the site of the championship race in November.

Wolves Start Off XC Season With 2 Complete Teams

The start of the 2011 PA Cross Country Season started off on the right foot for the Wolfpack Running Club. Both teams finished with top 10 showings at the 11th Annual UC Santa Cruz Challenge.  The women finished 4th, while the men placed 8th!  The challenging 4-mile course tested everyone's current fitness levels and gave many a good chance to dust off the racing legs.  Both races were filled with athletes of all abilities, everything from the new fun-runner up to Olympic Trials qualifiers to other past Olympians! 

(L-R) Susan, Val, Lisa, Claire, Nancy, Michelle, Maria

Seven Lady Wolves toed the line in the first race of the day.  We had a strong showing up front with all five scorers in the top half of the field.  Claire Saxton led the charge with a solid 13th place showing and powered thru the 4-miles of hills in a blistering 25:44.  That time now sits as the 2nd fastest time on the course by an open woman!  Dipping under 27min for the first time in Santa Cruz, Valerie Weilert finished in 31st overall with an official time of 26:58.  Close in tow was Lisa Renteria (27:18) in 35th. In her first venture of the course, Nancy Velasquez notched a nice 28:02 (46th), while Susan Armenta (28:23) completed our scoring with her 52nd place finish. 

(L-R) Jak, Nick, Rigo, Steve, Jason

On the men's side, we scrambled to get all 5 men on the line, but our new Masters runner, Steve Lopez, stepped up and competed in the open race in order for us to have a complete team.   Former Aggie, Jak Kuehn, led the charge for our Wolfpack in his inaugural race in the orange & black.  He clocked a very respectable time of 24:03, good enough for 44th overall.  Not too far behind was Rigo Ramirez (50th, 24:37).  Lopez soon finished with a time of 25:24, which would have placed him 29th in the Masters race.  His time now sits as #2 on our all-time Master's list.  Returning to the cross country scene for the first time in over 10 years, both Nick Piellusch (26:05) and Jason Hervey (29:16) made solid efforts on the trails.  Keep an eye on both of these men over the next few months!

- Complete Results -

Next up on the PA circuit is the Phil Widener Empire Open up in Santa Rosa. 

Saxton Breezes on the Oval

At the 7th Los Gatos All-Comer meet of the Summer, Claire Saxton notched the 4th best time by a female Wolf in the 2-mile event.  Her time of 12:14 earned her the win in the women's division.  Claire was also the winner of the 2010 Wolfpack Twilight 2-mile last November (12:04), but unfortunately she was not an official wolf at the time. She definitely looks much better sporting the Orange & Black! 

Next week is the final all-comer meet of the Summer series which is when they contest the 1500m and 5000m events.  Look for a number of Orange uniforms on the oval on Thursday, August 11th.
- Complete Results -

Wolfpack at W2W

At this year's Wharf to Wharf, there were more Wolfpack harriers in the race than there has ever been.  In total, we had 18 members competing.  Unfortunately, not everyone was in uniform, but those that did surely caught the attention from the crowds and competitors.  One of the fellow racers was overheard telling a friend that "those orange jerseys are everywhere!"  Great to know we are catching attention!!

Top (L-R): Tom, Claire, Rigo, Jose, Lisa
Bottom (L-R): Michelle, Sandra, Nancy, Maria, Aisha

With chip timing being implemented this year, there were a number of mixups in the official results with people swapping bib numbers, so I will do the best I can to accurately account for how your Wolves faired.  Leading the charge for us this year was Rigo Ramirez.  His time of 35:48 was good enough to place in the prized "Top 100" as he took 97th, unofficially.  Tom Dorst was our next official finisher stopping the clock at 38:58 which found him as the 9th fastest man in his age group!  Other official Wolves in the race were: Jose Acosta (41:23), Adrian Arcelona (48:14), and Jim Thylin (61:50). 

On the ladies side, Claire Saxton blazed through the streets and along the cliff at a sub-6:30 average pace.  Her time of 38:28 was good enough for a 38th place finish and now puts her at #4 on our club's All-Time list.  Lisa Renteria was the next Lady Wolf to cross the line (41:15) and just cracked into the top 100 with her 97th place finish on the women's side.  Mary Vidovich (41:40) made her return to the 'pack.  Nancy Velasquez and Aisha Kamala weren't too far behind as they finished in 42:55 and 43:00, respectively. Other official Lady Wolves in the race were:  Maria Sosa (46:07), Michelle Moran (46:36), Marrield Berry (49:20), and Sandra Sosa (51:49).

A number of other future and inactive members also notched some solid marks, be sure to check out the results.  - Complete Results -
Some photos are available thanks to Coach Bill Campbell - Photo Gallery -

Weilert Clocks Solid Mile

Another All-Comer meet in the books and another Wolfpack harrier represents well.  Valerie Weilert hopped in the mile as a part of a long workout day and notched a solid time of 5:35.  She was second in her heat and first overall for women!  Her time now sits as #3 on our all-time list.  - Results -

Mullen Sets Another Club Record

He did it again!  Ben Mullen blew away the field on his way to a very impressive and dominating 800m victory.  His time of 1:57.84 is a new Wolfpack Club Record.  Way to go Ben!!   - Results -

Mullen Wins 400m

Returning to the Orange & Black, former West Valley College standout, Ben Mullen blazed around the track in both the 800m and 400m events at the 3rd Los Gatos All-Comer Meet of the Summer.  Mullen captured wins in both events and set a new club record in the men's 400m with a time of 53.48.  He started the day off with a strong win in the 800m, stopping the clock at 2:01.76.  Great job Ben.  We look forward to seeing how the rest of your Summer fairs.  - Complete Results -