It would be hard to expect much more out of the McCurdy girls cross country team since the Bobcats are the defending Class 2A state champions.
But back-to-back sounds pretty nice.
“We definitely would love to go in and repeat,” coach Crystal Espinosa said. “It’s definitely a little bit more daunting, having that target on your back. People remember them from last year, but we’re working through that. They’re a fun group of girls.”
They’re also an extremely dedicated group of girls as three of the returners also were a part of the 4×800 relay team that set a state record in the event in the spring.
“They have run cross country for McCurdy since the eighth grade and some of them probably earlier,” Espinosa said. “They’re confident. They know what to expect. They know what confidence feels like. Three of them also play volleyball so state competition is not new to them at all.”
While team leader Aubrey Cordova graduated, the dynamic quartet of juniors Avery Knight, who was All-State by finishing 10th in a time of 21 minutes, 24.0-seconds, Marisol Serna (11th, 21:32.7), Isabella Archuleta (14th, 21:46.6) and Kaylee Martinez (22nd, 22:24.1) all are back for another shot at the blue trophy.
“They’re running strong this year,” Espinosa said. “We’re just waiting on one more for that fifth spot. But they’re definitely strong runners. We’ve got a strong girls team.”
Espinosa is culling through a group that includes several freshmen who ran as eighth graders in middle school, as well as school newcomers.
The dual-sport athletes provide a benchmark for the younger players.
“They leave volleyball and come directly to cross country,” Espinosa said. “Three of our JV players are also dual sport, so the older girls are leading by example. It’s not easy to come to cross country after two hours of volleyball.”
But they continue, still striving for excellence in cross country.
“These (younger) girls have watched them run for a lot of years,” the coach said. “The level of effort that they put into practice is amazing. They come in and they work hard. These girls watch and they see them and they follow. There’s definitely that leadership aspect.”
For the boys, the key to success is growth, but they did lose their top returning runner from last season, junior Justin Knight, who was 10th but is studying in Germany this school year.
“My boys team is growing in numbers like crazy,” she said. “Running is hard and people don’t typically gravitate toward cross country.”
The team has 14 runners all vying for starting spots with seniors Enelilo Espinoza, Victor Sanchez-Valdez and Ethan Bolton all looking to make an impact.
But youngsters account for the seasoned runners on the team as freshman Isaac Corona was 56th at state (19:17.0), followed closely by freshman Aaron Martinez (19:22.4) and junior Joaquin Romero (20:22.4).
“They’re running really strong,” Espinosa said. “I really see them doing well in district. The big thing is showing up, putting in the work and they’ve been super consistent at practice. I’m rarely missing any of the 14 runners. We’re expecting some pretty big things out of these kids this year.”
And it helps that there is a nearby reminder with the girls team, of the success hard work can bring.
“It’s motivating, Espinosa said. “Everybody is chasing the blue trophy. It’s great to bring one home with the girls. We would love to see the boys do that, too.”