Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
WAC Championships
Garcia Takes Second at WAC
10/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 31, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - Erick Garcia sparked the flame in the Bulldogs at Saturday's WAC Cross Country Championships.
Garcia, a junior, finished second in the 8K conference, leading the team to second for the team's best finish in nearly 20 years.
"It was definitely bitter sweet for the guys," said cross country coach Sean McManus. "We are proud that we matched that second-place finish from such a great era in Fresno State cross country, but the guys really went trying to win and believing they can win.
The Bulldog's second place finish Saturday is the Fresno State's best finish at the conference championship since the team's 1991 second place finish in the Big West.
The team followed Garcia's leadership through example as two other Bulldogs earned All-WAC honors as well. Paul Zwama, Danny Vartanian and Frank Sanders all finished among the top 15 racers.
Garcia timed a 26:04.4 to finish just three seconds back of first. The junior from Parlier, Calif., placed second for first team All-WAC honors with his runner-up finish for the second year in a row.
"Erick did a really good job, easily his best race of the season," said McManus. "He was disappointed that it was the same as the runner-up finish that he had last year, but I was really impressed with the way he ran.
"Last year he let other people dictate the race, this year he took the initiative to control the pace and went out to win the race. He was aggressive and tried to win the race rather than just taking what other people dealt him. It was a good performance and I am more proud of him for this finish than last year's."
Zwama, who led the team at the Bronco Invitational two weeks ago, placed 10th overall with a time of 26:45.8 to earn his first cross country All-WAC honor.
"Paul wasn't having his best day, but he did a great job working his way through the field," said McManus. "He was in 15th or 16th halfway through the race and did a good job of passing people up and working forward. He was a little disappointed because he beat some of the guys ahead of him at the Bronco Invitational two weeks ago."
Vartanian put in an impressive performance as well. The freshman from Fresno, Calif., finished in 13th overall and second among freshmen. Vartanian timed a 26:52.8 earning All-WAC honors for his Top 14 finish.
"Our goal for Danny was to be in the top 12 or 13 and he did exactly what we asked him to do," said McManuus. "He is a very tough racer. He's been focused on the regional, so we expect him to help us even more in two weeks with the 10K at the NCAA Regional."
Sanders, the team's lone senior, finished in 15th, just one place from WAC honors. The senior clocked a 27:08.6 in his final WAC Cross Country Championships.
"It was not a great race for Frank, but he's a talented enough guy that even a bad day for him puts him in the Top 15 of the conference," said McManus. "He was disappointed, but he is one of the best athletes I've worked with in analyzing the adjustments he needs to make to perform better the next time. He is constantly trying to improve himself, which will be great for us in the next two weeks."
Eric Battles rounded out the team's five scoring racers, crossing the finish line in 28:04.1 for 29th.
Carson Keller, Elijah Carrillo, Mitchell Pfyl and Michael Jamieson also competed for the `Dogs Saturday.
"These guys really should feel good about their finish," said McManus. "I was very proud of their effort. It was tough on the guys going up to altitude and taking on teams that run in the thin air normally.
"With only one senior of those nine today, these guys will be a force next year. They have a lot to be proud of."
Roxanne Sellick had her fourth Top 10 finish of the season, leading the women's team Saturday.
The women's team finished fifth among the nine-team conference championship.
"Our three senior leaders did a really good job today," said McManus. "We were ranked fifth going in, so I'm glad we matched that. Obviously we'd like to finish higher, but outside of those three, we have a really inexperienced group, competing in their first conference championship on a difficult course."
Sellick, who has led the team all season, marked a 19:44 for eighth place and All-WAC honors.
"The race was three one-mile loops and Roxanne ran with the front pack from the stat," said McManus. "After the first loop, it was a pack of 10, after the second it was a pack of five and after the third, the eventual winner went out ahead.
"Roxanne decided she wanted to win that race and went with her. She was grinding it out as long as hard as she could and fell back in the final 400 meters. I'm proud of her performance because she went out and made the decision to go after the win. I will never fault an athlete for going after the win. She made a great effort."
Two other seniors, Marissa McPhail and Jennifer Hernandez, filled in the Bulldog's No. 2 and No. 3 positions. McPhail clocked a 20:12.2 for 15th place. Hernandez crossed in 20:30.2 for 22nd.
"Both Marissa and Jennifer went out conservatively in the beginning, but they moved through the other racers equally after the first mile. They were able to take advantage of the people who went out hard and were struggling in the thin air."
Veronica Paredes and Pamela Cruz rounded out the team's Top 5, finishing within seconds of each other. Paredes ran a 21:22.3 for 48th for the Bulldog's fourth spot. Cruz, who had a breakout race at the last meet, timed a 21:29.2 to finish in 51st.
Also competing for Fresno State were Marrijtje Molenhuis, Kelsey Smith, Stevie Brumwell and Paloma Dominguez.
"We were pretty inexperienced group and it showed," said McManus. "It's something we'll learn from and grow from."
The Bulldogs will next compete at the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Ore., on Nov. 14, where both teams will compete in longer races of 10 and 6K for men and women, respectively.
Men's 8K Results - 2nd/7
2. Erick Garcia, 26:04.4
10. Paul Zwama, 26:45.8
13. Danny Vartanian, 26:52.8
15. Frank Sanders, 27:08.6
29. Eric Battles, 28:04.1
31. Carson Keller, 28:07.1
33. Elijah Carrillo, 28:17.4
47. Mitchell Pfyl, 29:08.2
48. Michael Jamieson, 29:09.5
Women's 5K Results - 5th/9
8. Roxanne Sellick, 19:44.8
15. Marissa McPhail, 20:12.2
22. Jennifer Hernandez, 20:30.2
48. Veronica Paredes, 21:22.3
51. Pamela Cruz, 21:29.2
56. Marrijtje Molenhuis, 21:44.6
61. Kelsey Smith, 22:11.5
65. Stevie Brumwell, 22:43.4
67. Paloma Dominguez, 23:13.7
Players Mentioned
