(Fresno, CA) Despite a valiant effort, the Mt. SAC Men's Cross Country Team fell short of the 2021 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championship, taking second place with 66 points. Sophomore Daniel Abdala, ran a blistering 19:52 to capture the individual championship.
"I am really proud of how the men collectively ran to their abilities. They competed extremely well as a team," replied Men's Head Coach Ron Kamaka. "I really want thank the administration, faculty and staff at Mt. SAC for supporting our student-athletes throughout this terrible pandemic. Because of their support, our student-athletes were fortunate to have the opportunity to safely compete, rather than sitting on the bench."
The Mounties ran incredibly strong together throughout the race, but came up a mere 16 points short of the championship title, which was won by San Diego Mesa, (50 points).
Along with Abdala, 5th place finisher Jesus Alvarado (20:21) earned First Team All-State Honors (top 7 finishers). Zackary Alexander finished 18th overall (20:39), Elijah Ocegueda finished 21st (20:45) and Yair Torres finished 24th (20:50) to round out the Mountie five scoring runners. All of the Mounties finished in the top 25% of the 166 runner field with Angel Perez finishing 39th (21:07) and Jalen Griego finishing in 41st (21:09).
Abdala's incredible performance shattered the existing 4 mile Woodward Park Course Record.
"Daniel (Abdala) has been a leader throughout this pandemic, " said Kamaka. "The individual championship is a testament to the quality of his character and reflects the sacrifices he has made and his commitment to the goals of the program. All these things prepared him to become the champion he is now."
Congratulations to coaches Ron Kamaka, Daniel Ozan , Nico Jaregui and Christina Cortez and the Women's Cross Country Team for an incredible 2021 season.
COMPLETE RESULTS
https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/41074#resultSetId-289409;perpage:100
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.