Las Lomas Cross Country Preview: Schreiber Aims for High Finish at State

School: Las Lomas
Sport: Cross country     
Coach: Andrew Schreiber
2009 record:Boys (5-1 DFAL), Girls (4-2 DFAL)
Key returners: Boys - Carl Gracely, senior; Gavin Ramos, junior; Guillaume Hansel, senior; Pearson Henry, senior. Girls – Caroline Frentzen, senior; Kelly O'Dell, senior; Ashley Love, junior.
Top newcomers: Boys - Aidan Goltra, freshman. Girls – Sydney Carroll, freshman; Claire Orton, freshman; Maddie Hight, freshman.
Quote:"Our top returners have been working very hard over the summer, and I think maybe their ready for the breakthrough." — Andrew Schreiber.
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Andrew Schreiber sees many great runners on his Las Lomas High cross country team, but knows it won't be one person that makes or breaks this season.

It'll take the maximum effort of all the 100 or so runners to reach the goals he's set this season.

"Cross country is a big team sport so you need all those contributors," Schreiber said.

It'll be all hands on deck this fall then for the experienced and youthful Knights.

Schreiber doesn't want to just clinch the Diablo Foothill Athletic League or North Coast Section titles. He wants the boys to place in the top five at the state championships and the girls to place in the top four of the NCS to qualify for  state. He credits a solid summer training regimen by his team for his high expectations.

"In cross country, if you run a lot over the summer, then you get really good in the fall," Schreiber said. "We had a really great summer training program and the kids really ran hard over the summer. I think that's going to bode well for us this year because they've run so much over the summer."

The Knights also focused on strengthening their core in the off-season with several push-ups and sit-up exercises, but the concentration was on running in open areas in the Walnut Creek area almost every day, the same places they'll be running meets at during the year.

"You train where you race," Schreiber said.

Schreiber wants the boys to improve upon their school-best, ninth-place finish at the state meet in 2008. The team has made the state tourney four consecutive years and finished in 12th place last season. 

For the boys, Schreiber picked out Campolindo as the team to beat this year. He thinks the girls will need to get pass Dougherty Valley to make noise in the DFAL.

Schreiber has seniors Carl Gracely and Guillaume Hansel as captains on the boys side and senior Caroline Frentzen leading the charge for the girls.

Freshman Aidan Goltra has been running since elementary school, and thinks the team can reach Schreiber's goals.

"We have a pretty good size pack," Goltra said. "I think we're still improving, and it's still (the championships) a while away.
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