NorCal Preview tests runners' fitness

Full Results

SALINAS, Calif. - Lake Tahoe traveled to Salinas to preview the NorCal Championship course and face off against twelve other northern California Schools. 

An unusually warm day in Salinas created difficult conditions. The course which was 4 miles for the men and 3 miles for the women consisted of a flat race track-esque first mile, a tough section of hills in the middle, then finishing out with another loop on the flatter section.

The gun went off for the women's race at 10:00 am. The course started on uneven soft grass that created hazardous conditions for many runners, however both Niza Barton and Caitlin Fulbright avoided any pileups.  

The course quickly narrowed, both women were shuffled into the middle of the 107 runner field. Recognizing their situation, both women worked well in gaining places throughout the race. The hills in the middle played to their strengths as other competitors faded. Caitlin finished the race in 15th place with a time of 20:38. Very close behind was Niza in 17th overall with a time of 20:46

The Men Started their race at 10:30am. Joel Nord, Angel Robles, Jackson Davis, and Jacob Christopher took to the course. The men were not as lucky as the women with the uneven starting surface and suffered a couple ankle rolls, however, they were able to stay focused and compete well.

Similar to their strategies at Santa Rosa, Jacob took to the front of the race in the first quarter mile, looking to test himself, meanwhile Jackson found his place near the front of the pack. Both Joel and Angel found great positions among the middle of the pack and settled in for a fast race. Jacob Christopher was the first coyote through the finish line, placing 4th overall in the field of 140 in a time of 21:04. Following shortly behind was Jackson Davis in 18th with a time of 21:54, a great performance for the sophomore showing that he is nearing all time fitness.

Both Joel Nord and Angel Robles had stand out performances. Joel lowers his personal record over the four mile distance by 45 seconds in a time of 23:12. Joel's freshman year of highschool PR over 5k (3.1 miles) was 23:15 showing a testament to Joel's progress as a runner. Angel also has shown that he is giving his all for this team. Angel completed the course in a time of 24:35 a 90 second PR over this distance. The standout from Elko demonstrated great competitive spirit.

Although the Coyotes will return to toro park on November 8th for the Northern California Championships, their next chance for action will be at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. The Coyote Men and women will test their strength against Division 1 teams over the 8k and 6k distances respectively on Saturday October 19th.