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Preview - Cross Country Classic CA - Dyestat 2013

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DyeStat.com   Sep 19th 2013, 4:24am
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Cross Country Classic still feels like the old Woodbridge

 

FINAL ENTRIES LIST | NEW COURSE MAP

By Doug Binder, Dyestat editor

The Cross Country Classic (the meet formerly known as the Woodbridge Invitational) may have lost a little something in the way of continuity but the Friday-Saturday night meet should be bigger and better than ever.

The event has a new name because Woodbridge High School has a new co-hosting partnership arrangement with Estancia High School (where the meet is located) and Costa Mesa High School.

CC Classic logoAnd in the last two weeks, the course was altered to accomodate new restrictions on Fairview Park put in place by the California Department of Fish and Wildlilfe.

"It seems that over the past few years they haven't identified exactly what part of that park is accessible to the public and what's not," explained meet director George Varvas. "That caused a review, which established (some new) park boundaries. The elimintated a good amount of that park, 70 percent or so."

So Varvas quickly went into action, working with the City of Costa Mesa, on a new course that approximates the old one in terms of distance (3 miles), terrain and surface.

Varvas outlined the course on a route he had previously designed for a community college meet.

"It's not that much different," Varvas said. "It's got a few more turns but I wanted to keep it (consistent). There is a little more grass that it had before."

Varvas said it the meet remains good viewing sight-lines for spectators and should produce the fast times that coaches and participants are accustomed to in this historic meet.

The course corrections were finalized on Saturday.

"I was very lucky that the City of Costa Mesa has been extremely helpful," Varvas said.

The Saturday night show at Estancia could be one of the best in the 33 years of the event. The boys race features preseason No. 1 and No. 2 boys Estevan De La Rosa of Arcadia and Blake Haney of Stockdale, plus talented sophomore Austin Tamagno of Brea Olinda and a host of other challengers.

Reigning national champion Arcadia (preseason US#4) is expected to be running at full strength. The Apaches will compete in a sweepstakes race that includes DyestatCal Top 25 teams Great Oak (No. 1), Canyon (No. 5), Warren (No. 6), Madera South (No. 7), Crescenta Valley (No. 10), Glendora (No. 12), Westlake (No. 14), Jurupa Hills (No. 16), Brea Olinda (No. 19), Homestead (No. 21), Long Beach Poly (No. 23), Fountain Valley (No. 24) and El Toro (No. 25). The field also includes US#27 Central Valley from Spokane, Wash.

National champion Sarah Baxter is the favorite in the girls race, but there are other talented runners involved, including Marissa Williams (Palisades Charter), Kimberly Coscia (South Torrance), Megan Huebner (La Quinta), Megan Pietrzyk (Malibu) and Madi McLellan (The Woodlands TX).

Preseason national No. 2 Great Oak remains without two of its projected scorers -- Chrissy Calain and Ashley Helbig -- but are still regarded with Simi Valley as one of the top two teams in the Golden State. Additional teams from the recent DyestatCal rankings are: Capistrano Valley (No. 4), Trabuco Hills (No. 7), Buchanan (No. 10), Vista Murrieta (No. 12), Moorpark (No. 13), Serrano (No. 17), West Ranch (No. 23) and Poway (No. 25). The Woodlands of Texas is also in the mix.

The incredible depth of the fields is practically without precedent for a meet in the month of September. And in an event that has seen the likes of Meb Keflezighi, Deena Drossin (Kastor), Lauren Fleshman, Christine Babcock, Ammar Moussa -- to name a few -- the name change and the course layout are of little consequence.

Note: DyestatCal will be on-site with meet coverage.



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1 comment(s)
Donal Pearce
Should be a meet people will be talking about for years to come! One no one will want to miss!
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