CLOVIS, Calif. – The St. Francis cross country team got a preview of the State Championship course and made a statement about their goals for the season with a second-place finish behind only defending Division champion Great Oak in the championship race.
"To finish second in the championship race for the girls was big time," said Rios. "We had been talking about it all week – to place among the top three – and beat three of the five major Division II schools. It fares well moving forward to state. It was mission accomplished."
St. Francis scored 166 points to finish behind only Great Oak (64) as the Troubadours got a pair of top 20 finishes and their top five were all among the first 66 runners. Isabella Fauria was 17th overall in 18:16, while freshman Cate Joaquin was 19th in 18:22.
"Izzy and Cate have been running strong for us all year long," said Rios. "They feed off each other really well. They are going to continue to have a strong season."
Junior Haley Silva was the third finisher for the team in 34th (18:47) with senior Sophie DeBenedetti crossed the line fourth in 19:14 good for 60th place. Freshman Tatiana Cornejo (72nd, 19:28) and Emily Castles (106th, 19:59) also competed in the varsity race.
"We have extreme depth," said Rios. "If you look at the rankings in California, we are behind only Great Oak and Claremont. We have some of the best depth in California.
The Troubies entered the weekend ranked No. 4 in Division II by Prep Cal Track.
St. Francis showed its depth on the course with strong finishes by their junior varsity and frosh/soph teams. The JV team was fourth overall in their race led by junior Audrey Reyes with her 13th-place finish with junior Morgan Watson placing 29th and Emma Hollenbach crossing 32nd overall.
The Frosh/Soph team finished 12th with an all-freshman lineup. Claire Silva posted a top-10 finish for the team.
Asics Clovis Invitational Team Results
Woodward Park, Clovis
Girls Championship 5K Team Results (Top 5)
1. Great Oak 64; 2. St. Francis 166; 3. Xavier Prep 183; 4. Buchanan 184; 5. Serrano 207.
St. Francis Individual Results
17. Izzy Fauria, 18:16; 19. Cate Joaquin, 18:22; 34. Haley Silva, 18:47; 60. Sophie DeBenedetti, 19:14; 66. Hanna Hekkanen, 19:21; 72. Tatiana Cornejo, 19:28; 106. Emily Castles, 19:59.
Frosh/Soph (12th overall)
St. Francis Individual Results
9. Claire Silva, 19:58; 59. McKenna McKrell, 21:36; 75. Nora Smith, 22:02; 92. Molly Chambers, 22:22; 104. Alexys Jones, 22:44; 131. Allison Williams, 23:33; 144. Jill Heskett, 23:55.
Junior Varsity (4th overall)
13. Audrey Reyes, 20:53; 29. Morgan Watson, 22:01; 32. Emma Hollenbach, 22:07; 49. Lilly O'Gara, 22:39; 51. Marisa Petersen, 22:45; 68. Elena Moorehead, 23:07; 85. Allison Prestwich, 23:34.
