By Beth Renkoski

10/10/09

USC and OCC Claim Titles at 20th Annual VU Invite

Vivian Wadeck - Women's Champ

De Glymes - Men's Champ

Costa Mesa, Calif – Fairview Park – It was a cool morning for the Vanguard Lions to host the 20th Annual Vanguard Invitational Cross Country Meet today at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa. In the 20 years of the meet’s existence, it was the tenth time the meet was held at Fairview Park, although the city park featured slightly different 5k and 8k courses this year. Due to the park renovations, individual champions Vivian Wadeck (CSULA) and Christian de Glymes (VUSC) automatically established new records for their respective course. University of Southern California won the women’s 5k team title while Orange Coast College prevailed over all in the men’s 8k race. Both events were multi-divisional with ranked NAIA teams, NCAA Division I and II schools, as well as a junior college and club teams.

The weather cooperated perfectly for the athletes, providing a cool morning to run on the hilly course, and spectators hurried to catch as many glimpses as possible of their favorite athlete or team. The USC women’s Team ran away with a 27-point victory over 11 other teams scoring in the first race, despite Wadeck’s impressive performance for NCAA Division II Cal State Los Angeles. Wadeck posted a winning time of 17:23, beating her nearest competitor by 20 seconds. USC and Concordia, Irvine placed three runners each in the top 10, while VU’s Meghan Williams collected the final top-10 medal.

Williams, leading VU with a time of 18:26, was followed by Araceli Zainos in 23rd place with a time of 18:48. Sophomores Chelsea Van Cott and Emily Canales crossed the finish line only five seconds apart, 29th and 31st overall, clocking in at 18:57 and 19:02, respectively. Freshman Jazmine Reyes was VU’s final scoring runner with a time of 20:03 and a 64th-place finish out of 126 runners. Completing Vanguard’s lineup for the day was freshman Lauren Minnick (20:19, 71st) and Olya Zamucen (21:49, 96th). As a team, the Lions posted an average time of 19:02 with a team time of 1:35.12. Vanguard, ranked 23rd in the NAIA, finished fifth overall, only one point behind No. 15-ranked Point Loma as No. 7-ranked Concordia took third in the women’s standings. Orange Coast College, the top-ranked California junior college in both men’s and women’s cross country, placed second.

De Glymes ran a strong race from start to finish, separating from the front pack in the final mile of the men’s 8k. VU’s top Lion claimed first from Anthony Pizzo (TMC) to win his first collegiate individual title with a new personal best time of 25:24. Senior Mike Hartanov was VU’s second runner to cross the finish line, checking in with an 18th-place effort and a time of 26:27, while Matt Johnson (26:36, 21st place) and Fernando Orozco (26:47, 23rd, personal best) were only 20 seconds behind Hartanov. Nick St. Andre was in fourth place for the Lions the first half of the race, but had to drop out with a shin problem, leaving the Lions with only five runners to finish the meet. Fortunately, VU’s fifth runner, Chris Ponce, set a new personal mark with a time of 27:20, good for 40th place in the 102-man field, bringing VU’s total points to 95.

One of only two ranked NAIA men’s teams in the meet, the No. 19 Lions faced the No. 23 Westmont Warriors head to head for the first time this season. Missing the finish of one of their normal top five runners, the Lions were beaten by 13 points in the team standing by Westmont, and finished third overall. Nonetheless, with a healthy roster, the Lions have proven during the course of the season that they will be one of the favorites at the GSAC Championships next month in Fresno.

Use the links below for complete meet results and thanks for following the Vanguard Lions!

Complete Women's Results            VU Women's Pictures

Complete Men's Results                VU Men's Pictures

Next for VU Cross Country: Biola Invitational (Saturday, October 24th at Irvine Regional Park in Orange)

VU’s Women’s 5K Scoring	Name	Team Place (T5th/12)	Time	VU’s Men’s 8K Scoring	Name	Team Place (3rd/11)	Time
1	Megan Williams	10/126	18:22	1	Christian de Glymes	1/102	25:24 PR
2	Araceli Zainos	23/126	18:48	2	Mike Hartanov	18/102	26:27
3	Chelsea Van Cott	29/126	18:57	3	Matt Johnson	21/102	26:36
4	Emily Canales	31/126	19:02	4	Fernando Orozco	23/102	26:47 PR
5	Jazmine Reyes	64/126	20:03	5	Nicholas St. Andre	DNF	NT
6	Lauren Minnick	71/126	20:19	6	Chris Ponce	40/102	27:20 PR
7	Olya Zamucen	96/126	21:49	7	Chad Smith	DNR	DNR