It seems impossible to try to find the words the express enough admiration for the Monta Vista varsity runners, and to describe the historic nature of their accomplishments at CCS finals, however let’s see what happens.

On-line official results are posted here.

MONTA VISTA’S GIRLS ARE THE CENTRAL COAST SECTION 1st DIVISION CHAMPIONS!

IMG_6167

Yes, for the first time in history Monta Vista has won the girls’ CCS championship.  Monta Vista came out and the girls did what  they have done all year–run like pros.  Bridget, Jenny, Maddie and Sunny all beat or equaled their PRs, while Julia, Anna and Kelly all came within seconds of their last race.  The girls scored 52 points for the win, compared to 75 points for second place Gunn.  Everyone on the team did exactly what they needed to do in order to become CCS champions!

Individually, both Bridget and Kelly won CCS medals and got onto the list of the top ten all-time Monta Vista times on the Crystal course.

BOYS TAKE HOME 5TH!

IMG_6292

The boys also represented us proudly, taking home 5th place in the D1 division.  Lead by Rohan and Brent the boys easily held off Menlo Atherton, and like the girls, every one of the boys either PRed or had times that were improvements, or were within seconds of their recent times.  Everyone peaked at the right time, and came through with strong races.

DID MONTA VISTA HAVE THE BEST OVERALL RESULT OF ANY D1 PROGRAM IN CCS?

Considered together, the Monta Vista boys and girls had the best results of any program in the section.  The girls took first, the boys fifth, for a total of 6; of some of the other leaders in D1, Homestead took a 3rd and a 5th for 8 points, M-A took a 3rd and 6th (9), Gunn was 2-8 (10), Carlmont 2-12–you get the idea.  If co-ed teams of 3 girls and 2 boys were matched together, the Monta Vista top five of Bridget, Kelly, Jenny, Rohan and Brent would have the best results of any school in the section at any level, narrowly edging SLV and Aptos (379 theoretical points, compared to 381 and 386; that would have been an exciting race!).

Team, you did great!

SOME HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The girls’ result was nothing short of amazing.  Their team time of 1:33:16 was a full minute improvement over the results at DAL, and is the 5th best time EVER recorded by a team at Crystal!  Think about this–the Crystal Springs course has been unchanged since 1971.  Estimating that every team in CCS runs Crystal 2 or 3 times, and that teams outside CCS run another 25%, then that means that there were approximately 20,000 chances for teams to run at Crystal–and in all that time out of 20,000 opportunities, the 2013 Monta Vista girls have the 5th fastest team time!  Incredible.  If we had set that as a goal for they year, it would have sounded crazy!  Yet there we are–the girls are one of the best teams to run Crystal, ever!  (Here is the listing of the best team times ever run at Crystal.)

Bridget’s time of 17:37 is the 55th best time ever run by a high school girl at Crystal…Bridget’s name will be on the all-time list for decades.

IMG_6233

The boys time of 84:01 was faster than the last three Monta Vista boys’ teams to win the DAL league championship!   For example, the last time MV won leagues in 2009, that Kevin Bishop-lead squad totaled 84:09.  Kevin ran a 15:59, but the 5th runner recorded a 17:28, slower than Max’s 17:12 clocking as 2013’s 5th runner.  So while the competition in CCS was tough this year…our boys showed some fantastic depth compared to some of the best and most successful MV teams in the past!  And with four of our seven varsity boys coming back next year, we have a lot to build upon.

The boys team can also look at comparisons to the best teams in our section this year.  The top 5 Bellarmine and Carlmont runners averaged 15:48 and 15:51, which is fantastic, but this was one minute or less in front of the Monta Vista average.  After a year of hard and focused work, achieving a one minute improvement on a three mile course is a challenging but achievable goal–and coming close is also a big reward, as less than 40 seconds per runner separated Monta Vista from the third State meet berth.  Four of the top five Monta Vista runners are returning next year, and while the other teams will be working hard too, improvements like these are achievable, are reasonable (if challenging) goals, and the work and the improvements are their own reward.

Amazing day, team!  These great results are a tribute to all your teamwork, and all the hard work, that you have done this season.  Well done!

IMG_6197

IMG_6313