Alverno Spikers Win League Opener

Sierra Madre, CA -

Alverno, the 2011 Horizon League Cross Country Champions for Varsity and Junior Varsity, began its defense of their titles with wins over Bishop Conaty at the League’s opening meet of the season Wednesday, September 26 at Griffith Park.  Alverno’s Varsity team scored 36 points with four runners finishing in the top 8 in the race.  The Jaguars finished first (Eryn Blakely, 17:29), third (Katherine Haysbert 17:52), seventh (Adrianna Martinez 23:00) and eighth (Madi Mennie 23:11).  Junior Jessica Lopez, working her way back from injuries, rounded out the varsity with a seventeenth place finish (25:04).

After Blakely crossed the finish line first, the most exciting finish was the race for second place.  The difference between second place (Sacred Heart of Jesus) and third place finish by Alverno’s Katherine Haysbert was only .33 seconds.  These three runners will face each other head on at the October 10^th Horizon League cluster meet.

The Griffith Park course on which they ran is very different from the hilly Bell-Jeff course they ran four days before. This faster and more competitive 3 mile course is almost all flat and sandy as it is primarily an equestrian trail.

Contributing to the team win was the rest of the Alverno team finishers.  Cross country is scored by adding the finishing results of the team’s top 5 runners.  The lowest score, the highest finishers, wins.  These runners in order of crossing the finishing line were Katia Jauregui (sophomore), Brett Richey, Adriana Nava, Vanessa Serrano, Rose Boubion, Victoria Pintado and Kimberly Ganivet.

The Jaguars continue to miss varsity runners Ashley Haylett and Francesca Rueda due to illness.  The next Horizon League cluster meet will be on Wednesday October 3^rd at Crescenta Valley Park at 4:00 P.M. hosted by Holy Family.

Blakely Finishes 2^nd as Alverno Cross Country Competes in 39^th Annual Bell-Jeff Invitational

Continuing her trend of significantly improving her previous year’s performance at the Bell-Jeff Invitational, Alverno Senior Eryn Blakely finished second among 96 runners in the Varsity Girls Blue Division (Small Schools) race with a time of 18:26.6 at the 39^th Annual Bell-Jeff Cross Country Invitational on the rugged Griffith Park course Saturday, September 22.  She chopped 57.6 seconds off her time and moved up from fifth place in her 2011 Invitational finish. Blakely earned a medal for her second place finish.

The Invitational, the longest running event held at Griffith Park, is a rugged course of hills, dirt, soft sand and grassy surfaces.

The Alverno spikers caught a lucky break when the Small Schools’ races were held earlier in the morning before the day turned hot.  In previous years, the temperatures have soared into the triple digits.

Varsity runners that also improved their times over their previous performances were juniors Brett Richey, Francesca Rueda and Victoria Pintado. Sophomore Rose Boubion also improved on last year’s performance. First timers running the tough course were seniors Madison Mennie and Vanessa Serrano and freshmen Natalie Valencia, Adriana Nava, Kimberly Ganivet and sophomore Katia Jauregui. These runners have also improved since the Don Bosco Invitational.  Their times at the much tougher and hillier Griffith Park course were better than those at the flatter Santa Fe Dam course.

Frosh Natalie Valencia said that “the beginning was really easy because I paced myself, but towards the end, in the uphills, it was very hard.  But I pushed myself to finish and I sprinted towards the finish line. During the race while I was running, I was just thinking about finishing proud, not worrying about my time.”  When asked how she feels about running cross country, Natalie replied, “It is really fun.  It helps relieve stress and you get everything out of your mind.” 

Member schools of the Horizon League include Alverno High School, Bishop Conaty- Our Lady of Loretto, Holy Family, Sacred Heart of Jesus and San Gabriel Mission.

About Alverno High School

Alverno High School is a Catholic, private, college preparatory school for young women dedicated to preparing them to function in a society as informed, knowledgeable persons, who have the requisite skills to make and implement mature decisions about complex problems. Enlivened by the spirit of its Immaculate Heart Community sponsors, and mindful of the Franciscan roots of its founders, Alverno's program—academic, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and physical—is shaped by the staff, trustees, and students in light of the world for which the students are being educated. Alverno’s mission is to empower each young woman to be exactly the person she wants to be and since 1960, Alverno has empowered more than 4,100 women to meet that goal. For more information about Alverno High School, please call 626-355-3463 or visit www.alverno-hs.org