2006 Recap
December 2, 2006: Foot Locker Western Regional
6 Cougars, 6 Medals, 1 National Qualifier
Mikel Thomas took 4th on the Mt SAC course to qualify for the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, covering the extended 5k course in 15:48. Mikel is the 3rd Central Section male athlete to ever qualify to the national meet. Teammate Jonathan Peterson finished 10th in 16:08, earning 2nd Team All West honors. Meghan Marvin won the Freshman Girls race with the 30th best time of the day in 19:21, while Saylah Barserian ran 21:48 to finish 26th. Sophomore Tawnie Kroll placed third in her race with a time of 19:53, and John Knepper finished 43rd in the Freshman Boys race to complete the '6 for 6' day.
November 25, 2006: California State Championships
Clovis Boys & Girls each take fourth!
Mikel Thomas wins, Jonathan Peterson 6th.
(Photo: Katie Thaxton, Cougar's Growl)
The Cougar teams burned up the Woodward Park course by posting Season Best times over the fabled 5k course. Mikel Thomas earned his first individual state championship by dropping his own school record to 15:08. Jonathan Peterson ran strong to finish 6th, putting the finishing touches on the best 1-2 tandem in Clovis High's history at the State Championship meet. Max Hernandez, Jordan Ashcroft, and Miles Payseno posted very fine performances to help Clovis to a top 4 finish for the second straight year. Kwadwo Opoku-Agyemang and Chris Quesada finished sixth and seventh for the Cougars. (Boys Photos Link)
(photo: Katie Thaxton, Cougars Growl)
Meghan Marvin and Tawnie Kroll continued their attack on the Woodward course, again posting personal bests -this time of 18:35 and 18:40- finishing 21st and 25th, respectively. Brittany Hodges and Megan Poindexter provided the push in the middle of the order, running excellent times of 19:20 and 19:28. First year runner Alessia Nardocci cooked a 39 second PR, junior Jasmine Quintana added a 24 second PR of her own, and Vicky Jenkins helped to seal the deal on a fantastic fourth place finish for previously unranked Clovis High. The Lady Cougars have now recorded their second consecutive top 5 state championship finish. This team's time of 95:44 is the fastest in school history, and marks only the second Cougar team ever to field seven members of the CHS Top 25 list. The other team that did so? The 1996 state championship team (95:48) Girls photo page link
Nov. 9, 2006: Central Section Championships
Clovis Sweeps DII !!!!
The Cougars earned impressive victories in both the boys and girls races, sweeping the Valley D2 titles for the second consecutive year. Mikel Thomas won his third section title in a row by posting the fastest central section time of the day in 15:11. That time is only one second off Mikel's school record that he set in October at the Clovis Invitational. The Cougars used the leadership of Max Hernandez, and a 24 second PR by Miles Payseno to stave off Reedley in a 50 - 77 victory.
The Ladies placed all seven runners in the top 11, topping runner-up Edison (Fresno) by scoring 16 points. Meghan Marvin posted the 3rd fastest time of the day in winning the D2 title with a PR of 18:43. Tawnie Kroll and Brittany Hodges also PR'd with their 18:52 and 19:15 performances. Megan Poindexter and Vicky Jenkins rounded out the scoring as five Cougars finished with First Team All Valley honors. The Cougars next compete at the California State Championships at Woodward Park on Nov. 25, 2006.
Nov. 3, 2006: Tri River Athletic Conference Championship Meet
Girls 2nd ; Boys 3rd
The Girls team gave Buchanan High, ranked #4 overall in California, a tough early challenge but fell short in its upset bid 35-43. Meghan Marvin placed second, tackling the Woodward Park course in 18:46. Meghan is now #3 on Clovis High's all time list. Sophomore Tawnie Kroll placed fifth overall with a personal best of 19:02, Megan Poindexter, Brittany Hodges, and Vicky Jenkins rounded out the scoring and helped Clovis run a 97:24 team time. Freshman Alessia Nardocci finished in 20:16 to set a personal best.
The Cougar boys took the top two individual spots but finished third behind D1 power Madera and a fine performance by Buchanan. Mikel Thomas and Jonathan Peterson finished in 15:35 and 15:42, respectively. Max Hernandez, Jordan Ashcroft, and Kwadwo Opoku-Agyemang finished 3-5 for Clovis. Freshman John Knepper earned Runner of the Week honors by taking second in the Frosh-Soph boys race in 17:31 and earning a spot on the starting line in next week's Valley Championship.
Oct. 26, 2006: John Seamons Invitational - Kingsburg Gun Club, Kingsburg, CA
The girls team took first place with very impressive performances by the top seven finishers. Freshmen Meghan Marvin and Brittany Hodges finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively, clocking times of 18:15 and 18:33 on the 3 mile course. Senior Megan Poindexter was the third sub-19:00 runner with a 18:46 effort, taking over 30 minutes off her course PR. Tawnie Kroll and Jasmine Quintana rounded out the top five, with Saylah Barserian and Vicky Jenkins close behind. These Cougars look ready to head into the post-season, with the Tri River Championships to be held Nov. 3 at Woodward Park.
The boys team finished third behind the first place effort of Mikel Thomas, who ran 14:57. Max Hernandez finished strong to finish second for Clovis with the14th place overall, and Jordan Ashcroft, Kwadwo Opoku-Agyemang, and Miles Payseno finished in 19th, 24th, and 28th respectively. Photos
Oct. 14, 2006: Manhattan College Invitational-VanCortland Park, Bronx, NY
The Cougar cross country teams traveled to New York City to run in the famed Manhattan College Invitational. The boys team placed third in their varsity race with 128 points behind Shenendehowa (3rd in the N.E. Nike team national rankings) and Danbury, CT. Mikel Thomas was third, burning up the 2.5 mile course in 12:21 and posting the 7th fastest time in meet history and 11th all-time on the Van Cortland Park course. Jonathan Peterson finished 6th after leading for most of the first mile. Max Hernandez and Jordan Ashcroft once again ran strong in the pack, finishing 30th and 33rd, respectively, with Kwadwo Opoku-Agyemang, Miles Payseno, and Chris Quesada finishing up nicely for the team.
The girls team jumped into the lion's den with both feet first, competing in the ultra competitive Eastern States Championship race which included 10 of Harrier magazine's U.S. Top 25 teams. Freshman Meghan Marvin led the team with a gutsy performance, placing 34th after falling 50 yards from the finish and getting passed by 5 runners before regaining her feet and crossing the line. Brittany Hodges, Tawnie Kroll, Vicky Jenkins, and Megan Poindexter rounded out the top 5 as the Cougars finished a respectable 16th out of 30 schools.
Oct. 7, 2006: Clovis Invitational
Competing in the ultra-competitive Championship Race, the boys of Clovis High finished ninth behind personal-best performances by 5 members of today's varsity squad. Mikel Thomas and Jonathan Peterson are now #1 and #4 on the all-time Clovis High list with times of 15:10 and 15:22, respectively, after finishing 2nd and 5th in a very strong field of California's elite. The Cougars' team time of 80:53 betters last year's state meet time of 82:01 as Jordan Ashcroft and Miles Payseno added personal bests to Max Hernandez's 16:27 to strengthen the team effort.
The girls, missing two varsity level athletes, competed in the Extra Large School division, placing second to El Rancho by four points and posting a team time of 98:26. Freshmen Meghan Marvin and Brittany Hodges debuted at Woodward Park by landing the #4 and #21 spots on the CHS all-time list. Meghan ran 18:58 and placed second in a field of 191 while senior Megan Poindexter posted a PR of 19:27 to lead Clovis High. Vicky Jenkins' 19:37 was third for the Cougars.
2006 Clovis Invitational link - Click here.
Sept. 16, 2006: Stevenson Invitational. Pebble Beach.
The Cougar cross country teams fielded 6 relay teams in this unconventional, yet fun filled format. When all was said and done, all six squads left Pebble Beach with a first place award. San Lorenzo Valley and Gunn high schools proved to be very worthy opponents, but Clovis High ended up in front at the end of the 5 X 1.6 mile races. Leading the way for the Cougar girls: Meghan Marvin, Tawnie Kroll, Jasmine Quintana, Megan Poindexter, and Brittany Hodges. The boys who led the way included Jonathan Peterson, who's blistering start left coached and spectators reeling, Max Hernandez, Jordan Ashcroft, Kwadwo Opoku-Agyamang, and Mikel Thomas.
Sept. 9, 2006 Kingsburg Invitational. Kingsburg, CA
The Freshman girls started off the season in the first race of 2006. The cougars left Kingsburg with very good times on the 2 mile course and plenty of optimism for the season ahead. Jasmin Quintana was the fastest Cougar girl, and Jordan Ashcroft showed incredible team leadership, earning these athletes the Clovis High Runner of the Week awards.