Sun City Running

A little under a week has passed as we got to see the Cross Country season come to an end in El Paso but for others, the real challenge now begins. The qualifying teams, places and points earned as a team are below:

Boys 1-4A:
1. El Paso Austin 19
2. Harmony Science Academy 43
3. El Paso Irvin 92 (won tie breaker with Bowie)

Girls 1-4A(2mile):
1. Harmony 28
2. El Paso Austin 54
3. El Paso Irvin 61

Boys 2-4A:
1. San Elizario 15 (Perfect score)
2. Clint 87 (Won Tie breaker)
3. Fabens 87

Girls 2-4A(2mile):
1. San Elizario 53
2. Fabens 66
3. El Paso Riverside 67

Boys 1-5A:
1. Burges 31
2. El Paso 46
3. El Paso Chapin 66

Girls 1-5A:
1. El Paso Chapin 32
2. El Paso 40
3. El Paso Burges 70

Boys 2-5A:
1. El Paso Hanks 40
2. El Paso Americas 54
3. El Paso Del Valle 55

Girls 2-5A:
1. El Paso Americas 22
2. El Paso Hanks 44
3. El Paso El Dorado 72

Boys 1-6A:
1. El Paso Eastwood 16
2. El Paso Franklin 48
3. El Paso Coronado 82

Girls 1-6A:
1. El Paso Franklin 27
2. El Paso Eastwood 50
3. El Paso Socorro 91

District Meet Standouts:
San Elizario: On the girl’s side, they proved that they can continue a program tradition of building a team throughout the season to put it all together when it matters the most. Led by Senior Ivonne De La Riva, the teamed had the smallest split from their 1st and 5th runner. They boasted an impressive 1:04 minutes split that was too much for the other teams to handle. De La Riva finished 6th with a time of 14:43.2 (2 mile).


El Paso Hanks: The Hanks ladies team has challenged themselves all season long, whether it was in town or traveling out of town, they proved to be capable of any challenge they faced. Their most impressive outing during the season was when they traveled to Arizona to compete in one of the more competitive meets of the season, Desert Twilight. They finished 10th overall led by Senior Elizabeth Aguirre. This experience helped them finish 2nd overall at the 2-5A District Meet behind El Paso Americas. I got to speak to Elizabeth after her race where she finished 4th with a time of 21:41.3. Hear what she had to say below:

El Paso Franklin: The Franklin varsity girls have been a juggernaut all season long and last week was no different from the rest. They finished with a team score of 27 led by Junior Emily Orr. Orr has made a name for herself in the Sun City as being one of the toughest girl to race against. Head Coach Albert Ulmer has done an incredible job of coaching her the past 3 years and spoke very highly of Emily. He spoke of her cerebral yet analytical style of approach when it came to running. Orr also had some very impressive outings during the season. Her most notable win came at Nike South where she ran her season best 17:46.7 winning the meet. Her tenacity helped lead her team and continues to prove that she’s one of the best in the state of Texas. Hear what she had to say after her District race:

El Paso Socorro: This girls team has flown under the radar all season but they really got some attention when like a lot of other El Paso teams, went to compete in Arizona at Desert Twilight. They competed in the women’s large school varsity division where they took first place with a team score of 81. Both at Desert Twilight and the 1-6A District Meet, they were led by Freshman Crystal Delgado. Assistant Coach Luis Villanueva spoke very highly of Delgados work ethic as well as the girl’s team unity. He said they’ve created a real special culture and has high hopes for this team’s future. Delgado finished 7th at Desert Twilight and 8th at the 1-6A District Meet. Her respective times at both meets were 20:51.4 and 21:27.5.

On the boys side we also had some notable team performances.

San Elizario: The San Elizario boys showed why they belong in the top 10 for Texas in 4A. The team finished with a one to five split of 1:39 and also finished with the illustrious perfect score of 15! All season long they’ve challenged themselves to compete against the best in the city and all of their hard work paid off in flying colors. Led by Junior Antonio Arreola, he’s become a real leader on his team. Assistant Coach James McLain spoke of his ability to always keep the team environment fun with jokes but when it came time to buckle down and get to work, he was second to none. Arreola finished first with a 1st with a time of 17:08.1. Hear what he had to say about his season and first place District finish below:

El Paso Eastwood: In one of their more notable season as of late, these Varsity boys have showed a new level of focus as they’ve dominated the city’s competition every week they’ve competed. The 1-6A District Meet was no different. Led by Senior Danny Torres, they finished first as a team with an impressive score of 16, especially considering the level of competition for 6A in El Paso. Torres has helped lead his team this season with a notable 5th place finish at Desert Twilight in Arizona. The team would finish 6th overall in the Sweepstakes division which hosted many teams that are predicted qualify to Nike Nationals later this year. Assistant Coach Jimmy Ayala spoke of Torres’s quiet nature but also his ability to lead by example. “He doesn’t miss practice, doesn’t complain, and he makes sure his teammates don’t either.” He also spoke of Danny’s confidence and how it helps him dictate how he races.

There were many performances that showcased why El Paso houses some of the best distance runners in Texas. If you missed the races last week the District Meet results can be found here.

More district footage, races and other interviews from the season can be found here as well.