Boys cross country runners, Rowan Hannaman (12), Matthew Stevens (12), Daniel Namgoong (11), Parker McDevitt (11), Cameron Iverson (10), Tobias Rivera Garcia (10), and Jayden Hernandez (11) made it to states at Woodward Park, Fresno after a strong end to the season, Nov. 29-30. Early start times forced the runners to push through harsh, cold conditions on the hilly course.
Hannaman, one of the two seniors at states, said that he wanted to perform well despite the weather and have fun during his last race for the team.
“The cold makes it hard to run and it makes your muscles feel stiff,” Hannaman said. “The entire course is like rolling hills.”
Hannaman raced a 15:58, which wasn’t a personal record for him but nonetheless, he said it was a time worth being proud of as he finished 71st and posted the fastest time for the Wolverines.
“I really wanted to end my high school career on a high note,” Hannaman said. “That really made it easier for me to run.”
Going into their third year of competing at states, the team kept the same goal: to PR, rather than focus on beating their opponents. McDevitt said that he hoped for the race to be enjoyable and give him a chance to finish his third season strong.
“The plan was to have fun through the race and enjoy it overall,” McDevitt said. “I tried my best to have a good time with all the other San Diego runners.”
Although the terrain at Woodward Park was hilly and cold, McDevitt said he wasn’t phased because of his prior experience on this route. McDevitt also wanted to run for his seniors who would be running their last race for the team.
“I wanted to run well for the two seniors that have given so much to me,” Mcdevitt said. “I just wanted to give back after how much they have helped me.”
Before the race officially started, a runner from Great Oak had a false start which cost them the CIF victory. Having to restart the race, McDevitt said that this recall helped him prepare for the race and feel more confident in his own abilities. He ran a 16:31 in the 5k, placing him 137th in the field of 197 runners.
“Even though I didn’t hit my goal of 16 [minutes] flat, I still felt like I put all my effort into the race that I could have,” McDevvit said.
This race was Iverson’s first year attending the state meet. He said that he had been anticipating this race to end his sophomore season on a high note.
“My goal was just to have a great last race and I think I did that,” Iverson said.
During the season, Iverson had a PR of 16:59 for the 5k. He said he felt confident during the race and this revealed itself in his new PR: 16:40 placing 144th.
“Afterwards I was very happy and proud that I ended the season strong,” Iverson said.
