DVCC made its annual out-of-state trip to Southern California on September 19th to compete in the 35th Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. With over 240 teams and 11,000 athletes competing, this huge meet draws top teams from all over Southern California and the West Region who are looking for a quality mid-season test.
The unique format of the meet allows schools to field a Varsity squad, as well as a squad for each class. The meet always provides a highly-visible opportunity to showcase the ever-present depth and quality of the DVCC Program. In addition, the 3.0-mile course is flat and fast and provides the Thunder runners an opportunity to post PRs.
In the Blue (Division 1) Freshmen race, DVCC got things of to a great start by placing 4th out 32 teams. The Freshmen were led by Travis Kearney (16:51), who finished in 8th place overall. He was followed by Gordon Fuller (17:36) in 29th place, Lee Nasewytewa (17:49) in 35th, Ryan Hickman (18:31) in 68th, and Marshall Smith (19:11) in 115th.
In the Blue (Division 1) Sophomore race, DVCC was led by Reece Donihi (16:03) who finished in 4th place overall. He was followed by Nick Thatcher (16:15) in 6th-place, D'Angelo Paisecki (16:41) in 21st, and David Neighbors (17:21) in 61st. Unfortunately, DVCC did not have five runners so it was not able to post a team score.
In the Blue (Division 1) Junior race, DVCC placed 1st out of 23 teams. The Juniors were led by Leo Crowder (16:16), who finished in 5th place overall. He was closely followed by DJ Johnson (16:17) in 7th place, Solomon Hanson (16:20) in 9th, Jackson Hickey (17:10.7) in 42nd, and Jacob Lemus (17:10.9) in 44th.
In the Blue (Division 1) Senior race, DVCC placed 9th out of 17 teams. The Seniors were led by Nathan Chan (16:11), who finished in 6th place overall. He was followed by Joe Kretschmar (16:41) in 24th place, Jackson Snedecor (16:43) in 26th, Isaac Carrizosa (18:39) in 116th, and Alex Zgoda (19:01) in 112th.
The DVCC Varsity had its best showing ever under the lights in the Doug Speck Sweepstakes race, the premier event of the meet. The Thunder ran to a 3rd-place finish with 127 points, narrowly missing second by 4 points. The Varsity was led by Senior Co-Captain DJ Harris, who covered the 3.0-mile course in a blazing time of 14:51, good enough for 15th place overall. Junior Chris D'Angelo placed 62nd in 15:35, with Sophomore Habtamu Cheney close behind in 63rd (15:26). Junior Nick Walrod finished 71st in 15:30 and Senior Co-Captain Matthew Anciaux completed the scoring in 84th with a time of 15:38. Newcomer Axel Laudon, a Sophomore, finished 94th in 15:42 and Senior Anthony Ramirez finished 152nd in 16:11.