Girls Cross Country secures 5th WYL Championship in a row

By: Krissy Hetherington

After 8 months of practicing in all weather and conditions with multiple limits and rules, Boys and Girls Cross Country officially round out their 2020-2021 season.

The Girls’ team finished with another undefeated, 10-0, season and took home the title in the West Yosemite League Championship meet on March 17th.

The meet hosted all 5 teams in WYL and consisted of multiple races (including JV races) throughout the day with a maximum of 3 teams per race. Each Varsity race was the top 3 teams in League with only 7 athletes allowed from each school. The 3-mile course was also located at Hidden Valley Park in Hanford.

This win was Head Coach Tony Ramirez’ 150th team win in his coaching career and was also Athletic Director, Michael Wright’s, first WYL Championship at Redwood.

Coach Ramirez says, “It was a great overall program victory from the lower levels through Varsity, everybody from the coaching staff to the runners’ hard work, commitment, and loyalty to the program, it speaks volumes and it’s rare. Not a lot of programs have those and that’s what has set us apart this season.”

“Getting everyone to buy in and commit to each other is a special thing about this team and it’s a strong force when you have a team that truly believes in each other. This win was just everybody pulling together and nobody wanted to let each other down. When you have that and are able to transform the team into one unit, you know you have something special.”

Cross Country Head Coach, Tony Ramirez

Redwood Athletic Director, Mr. Wright says, “It feels great and following the team all season has been exciting. It was weird because it was the only sport competing at the beginning but once you go to meet after meet it is very exciting to watch. Not just the runners in front but the races within the race.”

He also adds, ” Just want to thank the team for always making me a part of their victories. They made me feel like I was a part of the team and I am grateful for that. It felt good that the team always remembered it Mr Wright’s first win as our AD then it was Mr Wright’s first WYL championship so these girls are special to me.”

Victoria Nino, ’21, has been a consistent runner all season and a part of Varsity all four years of high school. She was able to finish out her senior season with a first-place finish overall and named League Champion.

“It’s a mind-blowing experience. There were so many good girls and competitors in League this year. We all worked so hard this season and for me to have that title is an amazing feeling,” says Nino.

She said securing the win today wasn’t as easy as it seemed. “It was definitely a challenge especially since it was our first time racing against more than 1 other team but we wanted it, we were hungry, and we raced smart and did our job.”

Last week, she was also the first and only girl in WYL to break 20 minutes for a 5k course when she ran 19:59 in the dual meet versus Mt. Whitney on Senior Night.

“It was my longest Cross Country season ever because of COVID and some days it was really hard to stay motivated and keep having fun with it. I just had to do a lot of training both mentally and physically over the course of the past few months and I think it was all worth it for a sport that I just love so much

“I love my team and the culture we have built. No matter what, rain or shine, we always make the most of the situation and have so much fun. Everyone is just so encouraging and positive,” says Nino.

She adds, “I’ve been training for 12 months never knowing if we would even have a chance to race again. I’m beyond thankful for one last season and chance to run with this team and glad we were able to get in 6 meets and a WYL Championship title.”

This year’s team consisted of 5 senior girls who have each been in the Cross Country and Track programs for at least 3 of their years at Redwood and were coached by Coach Ramirez each of those years.

Coach Ramirez says, “Words fail me when I think about my seniors, they are a very special group to me, every time I prepare for the next training cycle I envision each of their faces as I think of the workouts and who’s going to like a certain workout or be challenged by another. I’m just so proud of them for where they started and where they are at now. I’ve been able to watch them grow as not only athletes but become young adults that are just high-level people all around and that’s always a goal of mine, for people to graduate from the program as Champions in life as well. It’s truly a special group that I know I’ll miss.”

Nino adds, “My team is amazing, we support each other both in and outside of the program. It’s hard to describe our team chemistry because it’s something everyone should experience for themselves. Our relationships with each other are so special.”

Boys take 3rd place in WYL, Nunez takes 7th overall

All season, the boys had competed hard through heat and rain and saw lots of growth within the team. The Boys Cross Country team finished 2-2 for their inner-league dual meets.

Peter Nunez, ’21, a 3 year varsity team member, closed out his final season with a season best of 17:43 for the 5k and ran a 16:43 for the 3 mile WYL Championship race.

“I’m glad we had a WYL Championship meet because it was up in the air all season so I’m grateful we got the chance to finish our season against all the teams. The course was hard but the race itself was fun because I just told myself to give it my all since it was my last race ever,” Nunez says.

He adds, “It’s really bittersweet running my last cross country race. It’s been a fun four years and I’m grateful for all the memories and opportunities. This season was very unconventional but I’m proud of the team and how we pushed through and did our best with what we had.”

On behalf of the Boys team, Coach Ramirez adds, “I’m really proud of how they’ve consistently improved each week and have carried this real strong sense of team unity. We will definitely build off this season and continue to move forward.”

Preparation for upcoming Track season

Now that the never-ending, longest cross country season finally came to a close, the program is deciding to take a break and get right back after Spring Break to prepare and transfer their successful cross country season into the upcoming 2021 Track season.

“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing and not abandon what got us here. We’re 5 years undefeated and that’s a strong feat that many programs don’t have in the whole League, we have all systems in place so we just need to keep believing,” says Coach Ramirez.

Nino, a 1600m and 3200m runner, adds, “The environment in track is much different than cross country because in cross country, every race is so different. The courses, competition, weather, and distance is always so different whereas in track, you always have a common goal to shoot for since the track is always the same.”

Nunez, also a long distance runner adds, “I just want to carry the same mentality and work ethic going into track season.”

The Track and Field’s first meet of the season will take place on April 7th against Tulare Union.

Meet Results:

Varsity Girls:

• 1st- Victoria Nino, 19:17
• 4th- Krissy Hetherington, 19:31
• 8th- Amber Dancil, 20:38
• 10th- Zoe Matlock, 20:59
• 11th- Faith Pacillas, 21:11
• 15th- Katie Becerra, 22:06
• 24th- Amanda Dominguez, 24:30

Redwood finished with 34 points, El Diamante got second with with 36, and Golden West finished third with 54

Varsity Boys:

• 7th- Peter Nunez, 16:43
• 9th- Pedro Mendez, 16:56
• 13th- Sam Suggs, 17:28
• 17th- Eddie Cortez, 18:15
• 18th- Matthew Spalding, 18:21
• 20th- Kasper Galley, 19:04
• 21st- Elijah Valdez, 19:10

El Diamante took first with 29 points, Mt. Whitney took second with 35, and Redwood finished 3rd with 64 points.