Foot Locker Nationals, San Diego, CA, Dec. 8, 2007
Meghan Marvin made Cougar Country proud today, finishing off the cross country season by competing among the 40 top female distance runners in the United States. Meghan finished 38th, having had to race through side cramps for most of 5,000 meters. Although the race itself was disappointing, Meghan's experience of meeting and competing with the other members of this elite group was priceless. Receiving encouragement from the nation's elite professional athletes put the finishing touches on an opportunity unequalled in the world of prep sports. (Yep, that's Suzy Favor Hamilton in the photo). Thank You Footlocker!
Thank you to the faithful around the world (3 continents we know of) who have followed the Clovis Cross Country web page this year. Now on to Track season.
Foot Locker Western Regional, Walnut, CA, Dec. 1, 2007
On to San Diego!
Meghan Marvin once again rose to the challenge of the day, this time placing 5th in the Seeded girls race and qualifying to run in the Foot Locker National Championships next week in San Diego. Meghan ran the 5K race in 17:37. She was in 4th to 7th place most of the way, keeping herself solidly in position to qualify with a top 10 finish. Meghan is the seventh runner and third female in Central Section history to qualify for the national meet. Saylah Barserian won the Sophomore girls race in 18:35 by battling Catherine Hasbrouk of Santa Paula, CA for three miles before pulling away in the final uphill before the drive to the finish. Shelby Little finished 9th in the Junior race with a time of 19:29.
The boys were represented well, with Josh Webb taking 32nd (18:10) in the Freshman race, Chad Burnett 53rd in the Sophomore race, and Junior Dan Watkins running his fastest 5K ever and finishing 88th in his grade level. Future Cougars Ryan Phillips and Brian Exline placed 9th and 11th in the 8th grade race.
California State Championships, Woodward Park, Nov. 24, 2007
Marvin 3rd, Sets New School Record! Cougars 15th.
Meghan Marvin continued her rise up the state rankings with a superb performance at the state championships. Her time of 17:33 ranks #1 in Clovis High history, it is the 5th fastest time by a sophomore in state meet history, and she is the 10th fastest sophomore ever to run on the Woodward Park course. Teammate Saylah Barserian finished 28th overall with a fine time of 18:32 while Junior Shelby Little (128th, 20:09), and Freshmen Kelsey Mott (135th, 20:16) and McKenzie Poe (156th, 20:55) rounded out the top 5 for Clovis. Juniors Carly Brownell (21: 03) and Breanne Hansen (23:04) finished 162nd and 194th, respectively. Meghan, Saylah, and Shelby all plan to run at the Foot Locker Western Regional on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA.
Central Section Championships, Woodward Park, Nov. 7, 2007.
Girls 3rd, Boys 7th
3 of the boys ran personal bests, with John Knepper leading the way in 17:06. Sean McDougall showed his senior leadership by ending his career with a lifetime best of 17:18, and Freshman Josh Webb finished with a 17:28 clocking. The girls followed another 1-2 finish by Meghan Marvin (18:26) and Saylah Barserian (18:45). Carly Brownell PR'd in 20:33 to finish as the 4th runner for Clovis High.
Tri River Conference Championships, Woodward Park, Nov. 2, 2007.
Girls 3rd, Boys 5th.
Meghan Marvin and Saylah Barserian finished 1-2 to lead the girls team. With Shelby Little pulling out due to a lingering injury, the Cougars fought hard, but finished one point behind second place Clovis East. The boys ran well, finishing fifth in the ultra competitive TRAC. Sophomore Chad Burnett led the Cougars in 17:27. Pictures
Mt SAC Invitational, Walnut, CA, Oct. 20, 2007
The Cougars competed individually in various races today. Sophomore John Knepper took third out of 157 runners in the Sophomore Boys race with a very impressive 16:33 over the 2.91 mile course. Chad Burnett was 18th in the same race with a 17:27 clocking. Freshman Josh Webb (17:19) placed 4th out of 198 runners in his race. John Recchio and Dan Watkins ran 18:18 and 18:43, respectively in their varsity race.
Meghan Marvin posted the 6th fastest time of the meet with a blistering 17:20, the fastest time ever by a Lady Cougar on the Mt SAC course. Saylah Barserian (28th, 18:27) and Carly Brownell (94th, 21:05) competed alongside Meghan in the Super Sweepstakes race. Freshman Kelsey Mott continued her fantastic learning curve with a 5th place finish, placing 5th of 166 runners in her freshman girls race.
Cam Ostrand Invitational, Reedley, CA, Oct.18, 2007
With the varsity teams either resting, or preparing for Mt. SAC, the JV teams competed well here, with both teams taking first place. The boys were led by the 3-5-8 finish of Kevin Boogaard (18:10), Bryan Lopez (18:13), and Alex Staebler (19:30). Andrew Peralta and Jake Howerton ran strong as the boys scored 33 points.
The girls (18 points) were led by winner Breanne Hansen (20:56) and runner-up Megan Buettner (21:05), who shared the lead until the final 600 meters. Madison Little (22:35), Brooke Warner (23:19), and Miko Elliott (23:25) finished 5-6-7, showing impressive teamwork throughout the course.
Clovis Invitational, Woodward Park, Oct. 6, 2007.
New School Record(s)! Marvin 17:49! Barserian 18:09!
Two Lady Cougars bested the previous school record today during the division 1 girls race at the Clovis Invitational. Sophomores Meghan Marvin (2nd place in 17:49), and Saylah Barserian (4th in 18:09), both posted marks under the previous record of 18:15 that was set by Krystal Duke (now at Arizona St.) at the 2004 State Championships. Meghan led most of the race, but fell to a strong sprint by San Clemente's Alex Dunne in the final grass stretch. Hers is a PR of :46, while Saylah's mark is a PR of 2:24. Freshman Kelsey Mott was the third Cougar finishing, placing 32nd in 19:39. She is now 22nd on Clovis High's all time list. Shelby Little and Breanne Hansen finished out the scoring, earning the girls a 4th place finish behind CA #1 Saugus, Marina, and San Clemente. Hansen's 21:12 and Carly Brownell's 21:23, were also PR's. McKenzie Poe's 20:37 led the Frosh Soph girls to a 12th place finish.
The boys experienced a PR performance by all but one runner. The Cougars were led by Miles Payseno and Sean McDougall in the D1 varsity boys race and John Knepper, Chad Burnett, and Josh Webb in the Frosh Soph Boys Large School Race. The varsity boys finished 19th, and the F/S boys were 8th.
2007 Clovis High Cougars...
Next Up:
The Season so far...
Golden West Invitational, Cutler Park, Visalia, CA. Fri. Sept. 28
The Girls won both the Varsity and JV races, and Meghan Marvin set a course record for the second straight week. Marvin covered the 3 mile course in 18:23, followed by Saylah Barserian in 19:03, and strong performances were put in by Shelby Little, Tawnie Kroll, Carly Brownell, and freshman Kelsey Mott. The JV girls scored 19 points, with Megan Buettner, McKenzie Poe, Madison Little, and Brooke Warner took the top four scoring places, with Candice Federico, Jackie Nash, and Sonia Licona also earning medals.
The Frosh Soph boys took first in the large school division behind personal best marks from sophomores John Knepper, Chad Burnett, and Carson Brunsvik, with freshmen Josh Webb, and Kevin Freeman also very strong.
The varsity boys finished 14th overall, with PR performances from Miles Payseno, Dan Watkins, and Alex Staebler.
Mt. Whitney Invitational. Visalia, CA. Sept. 21
The Cougars traveled to Visalia to battle teams from the Central Area of the Central Section. The boys continued to fight through a rebuilding year as the girls won their race with 33 points and 2 runners under the old course record. Meghan Marvin chopped a reported 37 seconds off the course record with a 17:30 performance, and teammate Saylah Barserian finished 2nd in 17:38. Shelby Little, Tawnie Kroll, and Breanne Hansen finished out the scoring.
Sophomore John Knepper won the Sophomore race, posting the fastest time of the day for the Cougars with a 16:17. Josh Webb led the freshmen to a team victory with a second place finish in the Freshman Race, followed by Brandt Huerta, Estevan Beltran, Kevin Freeman, and Tim Jeung.
Freshman Kelsey Mott won the F/S girls 2 mile race, with McKenzie Poe (4th), Megan Buettner (5th), Madison Little (8th), and Brooke Warner (10th) finishing the "Cougar Cub" victory.
Stevenson Invitational. Pebble Beach, CA. Sept. 15.
Clovis Cross Country teams traveled to 17 Mile Drive this weekend and took part in the Stevenson Invitational in Pebble Beach, CA. The 5X1.5 mile relay format proved to be a great early test for the Cougars, with 4 of 5 teams relay teams finishing in the medals. The boys had some good performances by their top 5, finishing 4th in the Large Schools division. The 1st JV team took 3rd, while the 2nd JV team placed 2nd against the similar teams from other schools. The girls battled strong in a great contest between the Cougars and Gunn High School (Palo Alto). Meghan Marvin anchored with a great run, coming up 12 seconds shy of the Gunn anchor for a well fought second place for CHS. The only full JV girls squad for Clovis also took second place in the JV division, and finished an impressive 5th of all 23 teams combined.
Mammoth Lakes Training Week:
The Cougars descended upon Mammoth Lakes, CA in early August, ready to attack the trails.
Tuesday brought great weather, and a great run to Red Cones.
Wednesday was the traditional Mammoth Mountain run, with John Knepper and Meghan Marvin leading the way.
On Thursday, the Cougars took in the morning light at Convict Lake.
And Friday's run up to Barney Lake, near Bridgeport, provided a cold dip and a great back-country jaunt.