Ceres High’s varsity girls cross country team hosted Western Athletic Conference newcomer Beyer this past week.
The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 in the WAC dual-meet standings following Wednesday’s 18-49 win over the Patriots at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park.
“They were so proud of how they did against Lathrop last week,” head coach Katie Thiele said. “They were excited to race again and continue their streak. Beyer’s No. 1 girl didn’t run. I don’t think it would have changed the score.”
Destiny Suarez led Ceres High with a first-place showing.
She finished the 3.1-mile race in 24 minutes, 27 seconds.
“She had a big lead,” Thiele said.
Bulldog teammates Karina Baez (26:09), Carmen Ramirez (26:35), Andrea Contreras (27:07) and Jacqueline Rodriguez (27:08) took second, fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
“The girls were really confident. It helps when you’re familiar with the course."Coach Katie Thiele
“Everyone ran faster today,” Thiele said. “The girls were really confident. It helps when you’re familiar with the course. We practice there every Saturday in the morning. We do repeats of sections of the course.”
Ceres High’s varsity boys cross country team dropped to 1-1 in the WAC standings after losing 24-32 to Beyer last Wednesday.
“This is the most talented group of guys I’ve coached,” Thiele said. “They’re hungry to place well in league.”
Aaron Alarcon led the Bulldogs with a third-place finish.
He completed the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 46 seconds.
Alarcon set a personal record.
“On this course, it’s his fastest time,” Thiele said.
Ceres High teammates Luis Yepez, Daniel Yepez (19:52), Bryan Erenas (19:54) and Fernando Cardoza (20:23) took fifth, sixth, seventh and 11th, respectively.
“It was competitive early on,” Thiele said. “Halfway through the race, their top two runners started to pull away. We ran as best as we could. Beyer has a lot more depth than we do. At league finals, I think we can give them a run for their money.”
Ceres High will host Johansen today.
The girls and boys races will start at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. respectively.
“They seem very determined,” Thiele said. “They want to win. They’re not afraid to try hard.”
