SJ Mercury News All-County - 2008
Jennifer Bergman, VC (Runner & Senior), Lisa Fawcett *, Gunn (Junior), Cindy Huang, Lynbrook (Soph), Abbey Blake, Westmont (Frosh).
SJ Mercury News All-County - 2008
Mercury News All-County Team Members: Nohe Lema, WG (Senior), Garrett Rowe, Mt View (Runner & Junior), Parker Schuh, Mt View (Soph), Michael McCabe, WG (Frosh). Boys All County Team Girls All County Team First Team First Team Garrett Rowe 11 Mt.View Jennifer Bergman 12 Leland Ian Myjer 11 Mt.View Mary Reynolds 12 Mt.View Nohe Lema 12 Willow Glen Stephanie Barnett 12 Leland Philip MacQuitty 11 Palo alto Alex Westbrook 12 Mt.View Parker Schuh 10 Mt.View Kathleen Miller 12 Gilroy Lawrence Smith 12 Bellarmine Lisa Fawcett 11 Gunn * Paul Summers 11 Gunn Cindy Huang 10 Lynbrook Second Team Second Team Kevin Liao 12 Evergreen Val Claudia Barnett 11 Leland Robt McLauchlan 12 Mt.View Jean Feng 12 Monta Vista Lance Wolfsmith 12 Sobrato Allegra Mayer 12 Gunn Nick Oliver 12 Homestead Zoe Pappas 11 Mt.View Luca Signore 11 Lynbrook Kristine Talbot 12 Mt.View Skyler Cummins 12 Palo Alto Katie Nast 12 Saratoga Neil Lingarkar 12 Mt.View Rachel Stump 12 Los Gatos Honorable Mention Honorable Mention Nathan Strum 11 Pioneer Katie Castro 10 Los Gatos Marcos Hinojosa 12 Bellarmine Bita Manesh 12 Santa Clara Charlie Avis 12 Palo Alto Melissa Hopper 11 Leigh Will Geiken 10 Los Gatos Victoria Tsolis 10 Presentation Weston Strum 11 Pioneer Angie Korpusik 10 Presentation Valentino Julien 12 Willow Glen Abbey Blake 9 Westmont Donald Plazola 10 Willow Glen Dominique Guinnane 10 Prospect Bryan Crook 10 Mt.View Emma Dohner 10 Gunn Dalton Guthrie 11 Bellarmine Athena Alarcon 9 Gilroy Robert Chen 11 Gunn Susie Reynolds 10 Mt.View Runner of the Year- Garrett Rowe (Mt.View) Jennifer Bergman (Valley Chr) Senior of the Year- Nohe Lema (WG) Jennifer Bergman (Valley Chr) Junior of the Year- Garrett Rowe (Mt.View) Lisa Fawcett (Gunn) Soph of the Year- Parker Schuh (Mt.View) Cindy Huang (Lynbrook) Frosh of the Year- Michael McCabe (WG) Abbey Blake (Westmont) *Due to an error in the listing of Lisa's grade by the coaches compiling the All-County team, Claudia Barnett was incorrectly listed in the Mercury-News as the Junior of the Year.
Jennifer Bergman, VC (Runner & Senior), Lisa Fawcett *, Gunn (Junior), Cindy Huang, Lynbrook (Soph), Abbey Blake, Westmont (Frosh).
Valley Christian runner Jen Bergman had a dream season, accomplishing her goals of a third Central Coast Section title and a berth in the Footlocker national cross-country championships.
But Bergman's most memorable moment? Watching her teammates finishing strong at the CCS meet to earn a spot in the state finals.
"She is one of the best athletes we've ever had," Valley Christian Coach Jonathan Lee said. "She is super-talented, but very coachable. To see how she was at CCS rooting the girls on, she is really a team player in what is considered an individual sport."
Bergman posted the best mark among all divisions at the rugged three-mile Toro Park Course in Salinas, winning the CCS Division III race in 18 minutes, 15 seconds. She won CCS Division IV titles as a freshman and as a junior and was third as a sophomore.
Living in the Evergreen Valley area, Bergman likes to train on the steep Montgomery Hill.
"I've been up and down that hill so many times," Bergman said. "So when I race on courses like Mt. SAC and Crystal Springs, I think the more hills the better."
One of Bergman's best races came in the Footlocker western regionals at Mt. SAC, where she needed a top 10-finish to reach the national finals. Bergman was in about 10th or 11th place when she got to the hills and made her move, finishing sixth on the 3.1-mile course in 18:40.
"Jen's determination and motivation set her apart from other runners," Warriors assistant Josh Small said. "She has no problem with strategy in cross-country. She just likes to go as hard as she can from start to finish, and she can separate from the pack when she gets to the hills."
Mountain View cross-country runner Garrett Rowe started turning heads as a sophomore when he was edged in the Central Coast Section Division II race by Palo Alto's Philip MacQuitty.
This season the Spartans junior made up for that narrow loss with a spectacular year that included his first CCS title and a second-place finish at the state meet, results that earned him Mercury News runner-of-the-year honors.
Rowe's father was a runner at Princeton, and Rowe has become a student of his sport, in which mental makeup is nearly as important as physical ability.
"I don't have to give him any advice; he knows what he is doing," Mountain View Coach Evan Smith said. "What sets Garrett apart is his work ethic. He has a lot of talent, but he is willing to put in the work to make himself better."
Smith said Rowe's success stemmed from his intelligent approach: starting the season slowly and working toward peaking in November.
At CCS, Rowe dominated in the hills of the Toro Park Course in Salinas to beat teammate Ian Myjer by eight seconds, running the three-mile layout in 15 minutes, 29 seconds.
During the state meet at Fresno's Woodward Park, Rowe was the Division II runner-up by just two seconds, losing to Loyola's Elias Gedyon on the 3.1-mile course. Rowe (15:03) had the second-best time in all five divisions.
"I need to work on my kick, but I think I've gotten better at handling the pain in the middle of a race," said Rowe, who finished his season with a 13th-place finish among 197 runners the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland. "I used to suffer a lot more, but now it's my strong point."