Wilbur has big aspirations, not just in 3-mile Sundown Showdown at Brookside Golf Course, but for himself and underdog Falcons in pursuit of being recognized at both the state and national levels

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Before Dylan Wilbur stepped on the starting line at last year’s ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational, the Crescenta Valley High talent had never won a high school cross country race and was largely unknown outside of La Crescenta, Calif.

WILBUR PRE-RACE INTERVIEW

Three miles later, Wilbur and his backward white visor became well known, not just at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena, but throughout the state after he prevailed in a meet-record 14 minutes, 26.7 seconds.

It was the first of three victories during his junior season, along with several more wins during the spring track schedule, highlighted by capturing the 1,600-meter title at the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 finals. He also advanced to the state meet in both cross country and track, including an eighth-place finish in the 1,600 championship May 25 at Buchanan’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis.

Wilbur returns Friday to Cool Breeze, not only trying to produce a fourth consecutive 3-mile victory by a Crescenta Valley athlete in the Sundown Showdown – after former teammate Colin FitzGerald won at Brookside in 2015-16 – but with a desire to elevate himself and the Falcons to even greater heights this season.

“Really the shift is from being somebody who is just trying to get to the state meet to trying to understand who I am and how I fit in on a national stage and seeing myself differently than I saw myself last year,” Wilbur said. “Now, I kind of have to accept that I am among the best of the best and I need to train like that. That’s kind of how my mindset has shifted and I think my training has reflected that.”

Although Wilbur and the Falcons won’t get an opportunity Friday to square off against the top athletes from national powers Great Oak and Newbury Park, there will still be plenty of competition provided by reigning boys champion Claremont, along with additional California challengers Ayala, Concord De La Salle, Highland, Martin Luther King, La Serna, Mira Costa and Quartz Hill.

“I feel like, again, we find ourselves in that underdog position with us losing a lot of those people and I feel like we work really well in that position,” said Wilbur, who is one of only two varsity returnees for Crescenta Valley, along with fellow senior Erik Faeustle.

“Nobody really expects crazy things out of us this year, but on this track and within this school, we kind of know what we have. I think that’s really special and that’s the kind of thing that we embrace, that nobody thinks we can do a lot of the things that we’re planning on doing.”

In addition to the experience Wilbur gained from competing in several high-profile meets during his junior year, Crescenta Valley coaches Mark Evans and son Rob Evans know that the Falcons’ leader enters his senior season with better aerobic strength and increased fitness, especially evident in more demanding workouts and longer races.

“He has a great racing sense,” Mark Evans said. “A lot of people go out there to race and hope for the best. Dylan goes out there to compete and wants to be at his best. After last year, he knows the level he wants to perform at and he understands the work he needs to do in order to get there.”

Prior to last season, Wilbur had never broken 16 minutes at Cool Breeze and had yet to eclipse 15 minutes in any cross country race.

Wilbur produced sub-15 efforts on three different courses last year, including a 12th-place finish in 14:51.6 at the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 finals. He finished 26th in 15:39.9 on the 5-kilometer Woodward Park course at the state meet in Fresno, contributing to the Falcons’ eighth-place finish.

“I think my coaches do a really good job at making sure that there is a good progression from freshman year training to senior year training,” said Wilbur, who also ran 1:54.73 in the 800 and 4:12.31 in the 1,600 during track season.

“Obviously, I’m focusing on a lot of consistency and not bringing in too much new stuff. But it’s really nice to be able to compare the stuff that I am doing this year to how I was doing last year and seeing that, yes, I am doing much better at these things.”

Even with one victory already achieved in Crescenta Valley’s home opener Aug. 29, Wilbur knows that Cool Breeze marks the first of many significant challenges he will face this season in an effort to be recognized among the best in the state and the country come the postseason.

“I’m really excited because this is the first time I’m really going to have to test myself ever since that state (1,600 final) and that was a long time ago,” said Wilbur, who is trying to lead the Falcons to a fourth consecutive top-five team finish in the Sundown Showdown.

“Doing all of this really hard work over the summer and having that idea in your head of what you want to get out of this season, this is the first time to really start revving the gears and push myself to a point where I haven’t pushed myself since that state meet.”

And just like he did last season at Brookside by relying on the same impressive closing speed that later helped him become the first Crescenta Valley male athlete to score in the 1,600 or mile at the state final since Don Moses in 1976, Wilbur has prepared all summer to be at his best again when it matters most.

“The training that I do has set me up to really try to reach more gears than I have in the past and I think that’s what I’m prepared to do,” Wilbur said. “When you get down to that top group, what really separates everyone is that last (kilometer). I think, at this point, hanging on is kind of an understatement. I want to be up there pushing the pace. I want to thrive, not survive.”