McClatchy Lions Cross Country /Track and Field

The “2020” Cross Country Season was like no other! It started in January of 2021 with daily temperature checks, masks, social distancing and no actual competitions against other schools allowed. Our first actual meet against another school was March 5 vs Monterey Trail. The course was three loops around Cal and McClatchy and then finishing on the track. It was a flat, but slow course with lots of tight turns. We ran a second race on the same course against Laguna Creek. The boys race was a close one with us winning by one point! We changed it up with a 5K/3200m on the track for a meet vs Kennedy. Our last Metro Meet was March 24th at River City. It was nice to run somewhere new and River City was a great host! For our final meet of the season, we got to race against Rio Americano. It was a great way to end the season with everyone running well and lots of PRs! The girls managed to upset Rio, 24-31. Anna McNatt led the girls with a McClatchy record and the 2nd fastest time in the Section of 17:40. The boys also made a strong showing, led by Kai Sorensen, with a PR of 17:21. Although it was short and lacked the usual big meets, we were thankful to be healthy and able to have a season. A short week break and then on to track season! Go Lions!

We had a little Rust Bust 5K time trial this weekend. It’s been a long time since we’ve done any racing and it was good to be back out there on Saturday! Kai Sorensen led the boys with a PR of 18:01 for the 5K and Anna McNatt led the girls, also with a PR of 18:26. Alec Redmond, Ryan Tang and Jackson Evans also ran PRs of 18:49, 18:55 and 19:22. Newcomers Colette Combrink and Jaime Garcia started off their high school careers with a strong showing. Fletcher Lux, Louie McNatt and Olivia Johnson also looked good in their first race of the season.

Cross Country practices are scheduled to start soon, possibly December 8th. Athletes will need to follow new COVID safety guidelines and be cleared through Home Campus. Please see the link “Required Paperwork for Athletes” for instructions.

If you are new to Cross Country, please contact Coach Watkins for more details.
watkinsj@scusd.edu

Congratulations to the class of 2020! Thank you for all the hard work and dedication you have put into the cross country program. Best of luck in all your future endeavors!

It was a cold day in Clovis, but that didn’t stop the Lions! The Varsity Girls placed 14th in the State with Anna McNatt leading the way. Even after falling, Anna ran an 18:39, a PR by 27s. Molly Dreher also turned in a huge PR of 18:41. They are now #2 and #3 on McClatchy’s All-time list for Woodward Park. Julia Heckey was 3rd for the LIons with her best race of the season. Louie McNatt was 4th, after recovering from a soccer injury. Olivia Johnson took the 5th spot with a PR of 20:20. Seniors Camille Combrink and Kary Soubinh both finished out their high school cross country careers with PRs, as well. In the Varsity Boys race, Joe Wiley ran an impressive 15:55, a PR for the course by 48s. He now holds the #2 spot on McClatchy’s All-time list for Woodward Park. Go Lions!