Fresno, Santa Rosa, Mt. SAC and Fullerton honored with 5CTCA Runners of the Week accolades

Fresno City College sophomore Itzel Gonzales turned in another strong performance, placing 6th overall at the Mt. SAC Invitational with a time of 19:44, one second faster than her mark at the Pink in the Park Invitational on October 3. Gonzales has shown consistent progress throughout the season, highlighted by a 7th-place finish at the Big 8 Conference Preview and a top-35 finish at the State Preview Meet on September 6.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College sophomore Jared Hayes won the individual title at the Pat Ryan Invitational, clocking 20:46 on his home course. Hayes took control from the start, taking the lead early and holding it throughout the race. He has shown steady improvement with a top-15 finish at the State Preview Meet, a 4th-place finish at the Big 8 Conference Preview, and a personal best of 15:56 in the 5000m at the Kyle Robinson Invitational. Hayes also serves as team captain for the Santa Rosa men’s cross country squad, providing strong leadership both on and off the course.

 

Kaitlyn Reyes – Mt SAC
2nd place Mt Sac Invitational 18:44. Reyes, a member of last fall's state third-place team has proven to be a consistent performer as a sophomore as highlighted by her recent runner-up finish on her home course. She has averaged close to 45-second improvement on 5km courses and an outstanding 90-second improvement over 6km. Reyes looks primed to improve on her 35th-place state finish as frosh.

 

Zidane Ras- Fullerton
3rd-place finish Mt. SAC Invitational 21:39. Ras enjoyed a solid 22-second personal best on the difficult four-mile Mt. SAC course. Ras is gaining post-season momentum with four 21-minute races and two top-10 finishes. A member of Fullerton's state-qualifying team last fall, Ras has ascended into the team leader role and should improve on his 44th-place finish at SoCal Championship and 97th in his first 3C2A State Championship at Woodward Park.