November 29th, 2008 - California State Championships
Woodward Park, Fresno
While Clovis High did not have a full team compete at the State Championships, two athletes represented The Den. Sophomore Josh Webb started off the day for Clovis, finishing 147th in the D1 Boys race with a time of 16:57. While it was not the time Josh was hoping for, his presence at the state meet is a valuable experience that the Cougars can build on for the coming years.
Junior Saylah Barserian finished off her fantastic season by placing 18th in the D1 girls race. Her time of 18:17 is only eight seconds off her lifetime best at Woodward Park, and is the seventh fastest time ever posted by a Clovis Cougar on the course.
Nov. 13th, 2008 - Valley Championships
Woodward Park, Fresno
Saylah Barserian claimed the title of individual Valley Champion in the D1 girls race. Her time of 18:26 was the second fastest of the day, behind D5 winner Jordan Hasay of Mission Prep. The rest of the girls team struggled to the end of an injury filled year, finishing 3rd as a team with 69 points behind Buchanan (38) and Clovis East (66). Meghan Marvin finished 11th and also qualified for the State Championships on Nov. 29th in Fresno. Sophomore McKenzie Poe did a great job as she finished third for the Cougars in 20:04. Senior Carly Brownell (Fresno Pacific) finished in 20:13, placing 19th, and Senior Tawnie Kroll placed 23rd with a time of 20:33.
For the boys, Sophomore Josh Webb posted a 41 second PR to finish 9th overall and qualify to the State Championships. In helping the team to a fifth place finish, five of the other boys beat or matched their PR's. John Knepper was 16th in 16:33, Freshman Brian Exline (21st) was within one second of his best time, Freshman Ryan Phillips (30th) ran 17:15, and Jr. Vinny Singh gutted out bad knees to finish 42nd in 17:38. Senior Kevin Boogaard (46th) also posted a lifetime best of 17:46 as he finished of his career at CHS.
Good Luck to Saylah, Meghan, and Josh at State. With the teams competing for the last time this season, we are looking forward to having healed and well rested athletes competing in the upcoming Track and Field season.
Nov. 7th, 2008 - Tri River Conference Championships
Woodward Park, Fresno
The Lady Cougars made history today, winning their first league title in 5 seasons by edging a very talented Buchanan team 45 - 48, with Clovis East adding to the excitement with a very close 49 points. It is the first time since 1999 that a Clovis girls team has beaten the Bears in the post season. Saylah Barserian won the race in 18:20 to secure her first individual league title. Meghan Marvin and Tawnie Kroll finshed 7th and 8th, with first year Cougar Alyssa Mejia running 19:52 to finish tenth. Carly Brownell was Clovis' fifth runner, taking 19th overall.
The boys, seeded fifth entering the meet, finished fourth. Junior John Knepper led the team, with Freshman Brian Exline and Sophomore Josh Webb keeping close. The Cougars' next meet will be the Valley Championships on Thurs, Nov 13 at Woodward Park.
October 11th, 2008- Clovis Invitational
Woodward Park, Fresno
Clovis High ran very well today, with most of the team running PR's. The Frosh Soph Boys started the day off well, with Brian Exline (16:53) and Josh Webb (16:49) running under 17:00, and junior John Knepper running 16:44 during his Varsity race. The boys are looking to improve over the next few weeks, as they prepare to move up the ranks in Tri River Conference, as well as the Central Section of California.
The girls were without the help of Meghan Marvin, and split up among the various races. The team was led by junior Saylah Barserian, who covered the course in 18:38. Highlights include senior Carly Brownell's 19:42 and the 19:44 of Kelsey Mott.
Sept. 20th, 2008 - Iolani Invitational.
Wheeler Army Air Field, Honolulu, HI (3 miles)
The teams traveled to Hawaii to compete against Hawaii's best along with a few other schools, including the girls from Dana Hills (CA) and the boys from Laguna Beach (CA). Over six races, the Cougars represented California well, placing 6 runners in medal position (top ten) in their races. The first gutsy performance of the day came in the girls Open race. Sophomore Kelsey Mott passed the first mile in 8th place, fifteen seconds off the lead. With 200 meters left to go, Kelsey had caught up to the leader, and narrowly missed the top spot, finishing second out of 199 runners with a time of 19:44. In the Open boys race, sophomore Kevin Freeman led the way, finishing 11th in 18:40.
The varsity girls race featured the lady Cougars and the team from Dana Hills, CA, ranked #2 overall in California. Clovis finished second, scoring 69 points to Dana Hills' 27. Meghan Marvin and Saylah Barserian went 2-3, with Seniors Carly Brownell (17th, 19:59), Shelby Little (19th, 20:02), and Tawnie Kroll (28th, 20:51) rounding out the scoring 5.
The boys team had its best race in two seasons, finishing 4th overall. Leading the true team effort, John Knepper medaled when he finished 7th in 16:42. Chad Burnett finished 18th in 17:25, before Vinny Singh, Josh Webb, and Kevin Boogaard brought the team home in 28th, 29th, and 33rd, respectively. Ryan Phillips and Brian Exline took the top two spots in the Intermediate boys 2 mile race, finishing 1-2 out of 239 runners.
Sept. 13, 2008 - Kingsburg Invitational
Kingsburg High School (2.1 miles)
The Cougars opened up 2008 with a good showing at Kingsburg High School. The 2.10 mile course hosted 8 races divided by grade, and Clovis High began the season with some meet bests. On the girls side, Meghan Marvin and Saylah Barserian went 1-2 in the Junior race, and freshman newcomer Lindsay Gray took 4th in the freshman race, covering the flat course in 12:57. Senior Shelby Little was 6th in the Senior race. The Cougar girls took second to Buchanan in a mythical combined grades race.
On the boys side, Freshman Brian Exline took fourth in 10:51. Sophomore Josh Webb took 16th and Junior John Knepper took 11th in their respective races.
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