After capturing a pair of state track titles for West L.A. College in May, Rosales-Coria motivated to win first individual and team crowns for Seahawks’ program

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Brenda Rosales-Coria knows the satisfaction of winning a California Community College Athletic Association state championship.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL FINALS INTERVIEW | UC RIVERSIDE HIGHLANDER INVITATIONAL INTERVIEW | UC RIVERSIDE INVITATIONAL INTERVIEW | CCCAA STATE TRACK FINALS INTERVIEW

In fact, she’s experienced that joy twice already in her collegiate career, just not yet representing L.A. Harbor College.

Which is why nothing would match the euphoria and pride Rosales-Coria would feel Saturday by leading Harbor to its first CCCAA state cross country title.

Since Harbor, which rebuilt its cross country program in 2016 following a 30-year hiatus, doesn’t boast a track and field team, Rosales-Coria competed in the spring for nearby West L.A. College, since both schools are part of the L.A. Community College District, the largest in the United States.

Rosales-Coria, a Long Beach Poly graduate, captured state track championships in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters May 19, becoming the first athlete to sweep both titles since 2015. But for the past six months, her goal, along with the rest of the Seahawks, has been on making history for L.A. Harbor in Saturday’s race at Woodward Park in Fresno, Calif.

“For track, that was a special moment, but I like to keep moving forward,” Rosales-Coria said. “If I can help my team win a state championship, that would be amazing. And if I can win as an individual, that would be pretty cool, too. But to say as a team that we did that, that would be the icing on the cake and the cherry on top.”

In the 42-year history of the women’s state championship race, only four schools have previously captured individual and team titles in the same year, most recently Glendale Community College with Nina Moore in 2009 and Karen Rosas in 2011. Orange Coast College has achieved the feat a record five times.

Rosales-Coria won the South Coast Conference and Southern California Regional titles last year, before placing second at the state final to College of the Sequoias standout Alyssa Block, covering the 5-kilometer Woodward Park course in 18 minutes, 12.8 seconds.

That elevated Harbor to a fourth-place finish with 121 points, an improvement from the Seahawks’ eighth-place performance in their return to the state meet in 2016.

But with fellow sophomores Olivia Quezada, Cynthia Melendez, Andrea Gonzalez and Estrella Montiel also returning from last year’s state lineup, Harbor boasts not only the strength up front with Rosales-Coria, but the depth and maturity necessary to compete for a championship.

“Individually, that’s definitely in the back of my mind. That’s why cross country is so different than track because it is a team sport and you can’t win without your other girls. One through seven all count. It doesn’t matter who is No. 1 and who is No. 2, every person has a name and each individual adds value to that team,” Rosales-Coria said. “We all see ourselves doing great at state, but it’s one thing at a time, because we know anything can happen. As individuals, we all want to do better than we did last year, whether it’s time or place, and if everything else comes with it, then that’s a plus.”

Although none of Harbor’s other returnees placed in the top 40 at last year’s state final, Seahawks coach Geoff Skarr knows how instrumental that event was in establishing both motivation and preparation for this season and another shot at a title.

“The experience is the key. They’re the elite sophomore group this year and they know the system, they know the summer training, they have the knowledge, they have the awareness. They’re bought in, they know what the expectations are and now it’s just show up and be consistent and do the job we have to do,” Skarr said. “But we also want to appreciate the moment while we’re here. Since we only have them for two years, it’s what makes this year even more special than last year.”

It also makes the level Rosales-Coria has reached this season even more impressive, establishing herself as one of the elite two-year college runners in the country, along with All-American athletes from Iowa Central and El Paso in the National Junior College Athletic Association.

During the regular season, Rosales-Coria only competed against four-year college athletes and post-collegiate runners at meets held at Redlands, UC Riverside and Stanford. She returned to two-year college competition to repeat as both conference and Southern California Regional champion, prevailing Nov. 2 by 11 seconds in an anticipated showdown with Moorpark College sophomore Samantha Barajas, an NCAA Division 2 national finalist last year competing for Cal Poly Pomona.

“We’ve had that competition and that extra push that we all need. If we’re racing against the same people all the time, I don’t think that benefits anyone,” Rosales-Coria said. “Cross country is a little replica of what life is. I think it’s definitely pushing yourself to the limits and seeing how far you can take it and every single day. It’s having to be mentally be there and focus on doing the things you have to do. Once you lose that focus, you lose everything.”

Even with an academic schedule that features 21 units this fall, combined with several challenging workouts and demanding races, Rosales-Coria has maintained her focus to lead by example, not only with her selfless approach, but by demonstrating composure and poise during races.

“The key to my philosophy is consistency and she’s probably the most consistent on the team,” Skarr said. “I don’t think there are ever any surprises why she has the accomplishments she does is because she does put in the work, she’s consistent and she’s very coachable. We knew the little things we needed to keep doing that would add up to bigger things in November and she’s handled everything that’s been put in front of her.

“I am looking for Brenda to get pushed and challenged, but it’s not just about winning a state title and running in the low 18:20s. It’s about how far can we get into the low 17s and crack that all-time list because it’s all about getting to that next level.”

Although Rosales-Coria is one of the most accomplished athletes in the field Saturday, she doesn’t rely on past success to propel her to future glory.

“I take each season individually. I don’t think a lot about what I did last year because I know that each year is different and you can’t really compare them. Last year is in the shadows, you could say, but I just try to focus on the present,” Rosales-Coria said. “I’ve been blessed with an amazing coach giving me really hard workouts that definitely push me through. I know that he knows that I definitely want to be pushed because I want to try to maximize what I can for each workout. I like to work on mentally preparing myself every day and the workouts are going to show whatever my mental state is. I know I have to work hard if I want to get better.”

Rosales-Coria has the potential to again be a champion, but she knows that even with a second victory in 16 days racing against Barajas, the potential for Harbor to capture a historical team championship rests more on the performances of her teammates.

And her presence has continued to instill confidence and belief in the rest of the Seahawks’ lineup when it matters most.

“If we did this amazing last year, imagine the things that we can do this year having one year under our belts. We all have that goal of achieving more and trying to catch that next person in front of us and it ripples down throughout the team and we’re making it work,” Rosales-Coria said. “We each have our strengths and we respect what we’re good at. There is an admiration for what each person can do. We all come out to do our part and each one of us plays a big role.”

Perhaps the biggest role in Harbor’s journey, which includes the only outright conference title in program history along with the first Southern California Regional crown, is the knowledge that the five sophomores will finally have their second chance at a state championship after just missing out on a podium finish last year.

“There is a sense with that crew that there is some unfinished business out there,” Skarr said. “But we’re just going to focus on us, and if the stars align right, everything is leading to us.”