SANTA ROSA >> Upper Lake”s varsity boys finished fourth in the open division led by Matt Willard”s eighth-place finish on Saturday at the Viking Opener at Spring Lake.
It was the season debut of the Upper Lake cross country team and new coach Lynda Wade, who had plenty to celebrate.
Taking place on a 2-mile course consisting of dirt and rocky paths, including a half-mile segment on a bike trail, runners from cross country teams throughout the Redwood Empire participated in the traditional season opener.
Eleven Cougars, all competing in the Open division, participated.
Willard, a junior, covered the course in 12 minutes, 20 seconds, to finish eighth out of 123 runners. Teammate Justin Lewis, also a junior, was 14th overall in 12:47 while senior Arthur Wilkie placed 17th in 12:50.
Also for the Cougars, freshmen Blake Noble and Chris Johnson finished 42nd and 89th with times of 13:49 and 14:56, respectively, and senior Fernando Mendoza had a time of 18:50.
The top three finishers for each squad determined team placement. Upper Lake tied Santa Rosa for third but lost the fourth-runner tiebreaker, dropping to fourth.
“A really great showing for the boys” first meet of the season,” Wade said. “Matt Willard was very strong with a 6:10 (mile) pace. I expect him to be in the fives by the end of the season, if not sooner.”
Added Wade, “Justin and Arthur were only three seconds apart, which is very impressive. These three boys are definitely the heart of the boys” team. They also ran the summer program, so they came into the season with a nice base.”
Wade also was impressed with the high school debut of her two freshman, Noble and Johnson.
“Blake and Chris had excellent races also. Blake ran a 6:55 pace and Chris a 7:28. I am looking forward to great things from these two young runners,” Wade said.
In the girls” open division, which featured 152 runners, junior Mercede DeLosSantos led Upper Lake with a time of 18:05, good for 108th place. Lyndsay Wade, making her high school debut, was 116th in 18:22 while sophomore Cristal Nieves was 148th in 22:17.
Also for the Cougars, junior Molly Sivertsen finished in 23:04 and Cheyenne Callaway in 26:18.
“Lyndsay and Mercedes were trading places throughout the race,” Wade said. “When Lyndsay stumbled with a half-mile to go, Mercedes went ahead and didn”t look back. Mercedes is a junior and a second-year runner. Lyndsay is a freshman but has been training with and running with the team since fourth grade. I expect both of these girls to gain a lot of speed and strength this season.”
Added Wade, “Cristal had the toughest race as she tripped and fell on one of the hundreds of rocks on the Spring Lake course. She didn”t let it slow her down though, picking herself up and continuing on with her race.”
Nieves, Sivertsen and Callaway all ran personal-best times for that distance, according to Wade.
Upper Lake returns to action Wednesday during the annual Lake County Meet in Middletown at 3 p.m.
