Ready, Set, Go!
Crystal Middle School, Cross Country and Track & Field Teams
11.10.19 |
Cougar Packs Rule at League Championships
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Crystal Middle School's cross country team wrapped up its season at Thursday's CSAC league championships with a fantastic showing of teamwork and perseverance that landed every competing athlete a coveted top-10 spot on the school record board.
First up was the girls race, with exemplary pack running from 8th graders Kairi Saechao and Lillian Luu, and 6th grader Mariza Supapo. Saechao led the way with a 10:31 finish - over 80 seconds faster than her previous race on the course from one year ago; she was followed a second later by Luu, with Supapo coming in a mere 4 seconds after that. The tight pack nabbed all three girls top spots on the school record board for the course, at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th all-time. The boys race saw 8th graders Andre Smith and Brandon Meza Angulo finish within a narrow time span as well, with Smith completing the course in 9:44 and Meza Angulo in 9:56. For Smith, the finish was over half a minute faster than his 2018 Green Valley course time, and the improvement lifted him from 8th up to 4th all-time. Meza Angulo, who last raced on the course in 2017, went from an unranked 14:04 to PR by over 4 minutes to tie for 6th all-time on the challenging course. Helping the competing Cougars through those challenges every step of the way were their teammates, who positioned themselves strategically along the course to offer encouragement at pivotal times. We're so thankful to have such a dedicated team of student-athletes; thanks for a wonderful season, Cougars! |
11.10.19 |
Color Run Fun at XC Team Party
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After a long and prosperous season, the Crystal cross country team took some well-deserved time to relax at their annual team party on Friday. After indulging in a feast of pizza, cake, cookies, and drinks, the Cougars made their way down to the track for the second annual donut relay mile; the winning team of Matteo Bohannan, Andre Smith, Brandon Meza Angulo, and Joshua McDaniel finished with a gentlemanly time of just under 20 minutes and just under 1 incident of throwing up. Afterward, the team engaged in a friendly color run battle that turned athletes' faces, clothes, hair and shoes almost every color imaginable. Click the photo to check out the whole album!
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11.7.19 |
Milestones Reached at End-of-Season Scrimmage
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Despite the unexpected two-week postponement of their league championships, the Crystal cross country team's competitive spirit was nonetheless on full display at yesterday's end-of-season scrimmage on the Suisun Waterfront. Racing against their friends from David Weir, the Cougars achieved huge time improvements on the 1.40-mile course, with many PR'ing by 30 seconds or more.
Determined to break the 6th grade girls school record after missing it by just 2 seconds in October, Mariza Supapo brought her goal to life with a 9:49 finish that was also a 24-second PR. Melanie Rodriguez brought her home course time down by 33 seconds to finish with a PR of 12:03, while Izzy Ramos did likewise, also PR'ing by 33-seconds to complete her race in 12:20. Nyema Myers skipped over the 13-minute range completely with a nearly-2-minute PR that saw her finish in 12:59 from a 14:51 previous best, while Skylar Willis finished 10 seconds later with an over-1:45 improvement; Chloe Perez realized a 46-second PR with a time of 13:16. Rhema Johnson and Arelle Cortez came through the finish line at the same time of 13:28, with Johnson netting a 27-second PR and Cortez attaining one of 1:25; Nathalie Herrera PR'ed by almost a minute with a time of 13:52. In the boys race, Andre Smith led the way with a 1-second PR to finish in 9:03, while 6th grader Joshua McDaniel's 9:55 performance was an 11-second PR that also netted him the 6th grade boys' home course record. Matteo Bohannan's 13:28 effort was a 33-second PR and an extremely impressive 3:30 improvement from his first race of the season. Throughout both races, Crystal athletes demonstrated the best in supporting their teammates; by investing themselves in each other's success, they made possible the terrific gains witnessed at yesterday's races. We're extremely proud of our Cougars! |
10.28.19 |
Photo Run Fun for Cougars on Final Day of Practice
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Taking a break today from the serious side of training for championships, the Cougar cross country team had some fun running and taking goofy pictures around the Suisun Waterfront for their annual photo scavenger hunt run. Guided by bizarre prompts involving ninjas, aliens, and zombies - among other crazy things - the runners formed teams and raced to capture the most creative pics. Click the photo to check them all out!
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10.23.19 |
Success for Crystal at Final Home Meet
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In their final home meet of the season, and the last competition before championships, Crystal's cross country athletes wasted no time getting down to business. The first race of the day saw a neck-and-neck finish by 6th graders Kyle Durano and Joshua McDaniel, who both broke the 6th grade boys school record of 10:16 set in 2016. Durano surged ahead to take the number 1 spot with a time of 9:58, while McDaniel came in right after with a 10:02 finish. Fellow 6th grader Sir Jeremiah finished in 10:23, netting him a PR and the number 4 spot on the all-time list. Delsyn Robinson, Evan Porter, and Matteo Bohannan also netted big PR's of nearly a minute or more, with Robinson rebounding from a major injury to achieve coveted single-digit status by breaking the 10-minute barrier.
In the girls race, many Crystal runners achieved new PR's, including Izzy Ramos, Nathalie Herrera, and Mariah Macias, who each broke new minute barriers. As usual, the Cougars' team spirit was on full display as runners on their warm-ups and cool-downs positioned themselves on forlorn stretches of the course to make sure their teammates were supported at the most critical times. This camaraderie will be crucial as the team heads into its postseason, as qualifying athletes prepare for next week's championship meet at Green Valley Middle School. |
10.17.19 |
Runners Hit the Road for Busy Week of Racing
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The Cougar cross country team left Suisun City to explore new territory in Fairfield and Benicia over the past week, sandwiching their first and only away league meet between their final two invitationals of the season. First up was Mariza Supapo's great performance at the Benicia bonus meet last Thursday, where she placed in the top 10 and achieved a new mile PR of 7:27 against athletes from several North Coast Section cities.
This week, the Cougars traveled across town to Oakbrook Elementary for their sole away league meet, where the boys and girls teams both notched wins against Oakbrook and Dan O. Root while picking up some personal records along the way. For the second week in a row, 6th grader Melanie Rodriguez achieved an astonishing PR of over a minute in the girls race, while teammate and fellow 6th grader Nyema Myers dipped below the 15-minute mark for the first time. In the boys race, 8th grader James Rabara similarly hit a time milestone, running his race in under 10 minutes for the first time. Although still recovering from a cold caught the week before, Kyle Durano nonetheless finished with a PR of 9 seconds, just behind Joshua McDaniel, who knocked 2 seconds off his own previous best on Oakbrook's 1.37-mile course. Both boys are vying for Crystal's 6th grade school record, and will have one last chance at the prize next week when the Cougars host their final league meet of the season. As if all this racing wasn't enough, seven Crystal runners gathered at Laurel Creek Park the day after their victory over Oakbrook and Dan O. Root to compete yet again, this time at the annual Doug Butt Memorial Run. In the 7th and 8th grade boys race, Andre Smith finished in first place with a time of 6:03 - more than 2 minutes faster than his finish one year ago; Smith was followed quickly after by teammate Brandon Meza Angulo. In the 6th grade girls race, Mariza Supapo soundly cut 45 seconds off her Benicia mile time - PR'ing once again in the process - while in the 7th and 8th grade girls race, Rhema Johnson showed an improvement of over minute compared to the same race last year. |
10.9.19 |
Cougars Win Six Times in One Day
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Less than one week after the inaugural league meet of the season, Crystal's cross country team was back on the racecourse at Tuesday's home competition versus Dover, David Weir, and Dan O. Root. Despite a few nail-biter finishes, both the Cougars' boys and girls squads emerged victorious over all three teams, with several rookie athletes stealing the limelight with some major PR's.
In the girls race, Izzy Ramos, Melanie Rodriguez, and Amritjot Chahil all ran more than a minute faster than they had just six days earlier. Meanwhile, Sir Jeremiah, Evan Porter, and Matteo Bohannan scored big PR's ranging from 30 seconds to nearly 2 minutes in the boys race. With two more league meets left before championships. the Cougars will head across town to Oakbrook Elementary next week for their season's first and only away competition. |
10.4.19 |
Crystal Proves Potential in First League Meet
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In one of their biggest home meets ever, the Crystal cross country team hosted over 80 athletes at the first CSAC league meet of the season on Wednesday, all the while proving themselves a force to be reckoned with in 2019. Facing off against Green Valley, Sheldon, and Public Safety Academy, the Cougars nabbed multiple team wins along with several individual triumphs. In the boys race, 8th grader Andre Smith cut 23 seconds off his previous personal best to finish with a time of 9:07 on the 1.40-mile Waterfront course. Finishing a half-minute later at 9:37, fellow 8th grader Brandon Meza Angulo saw an astonishing improvement of nearly 3 minutes on his previous 12:35 best.
In the girls race, 8th grade runner Kairi Saechao PR'ed by more than a minute over her best time as a 7th grader, completing her race in 10:36 and moving four spots up on Crystal's all-time list. Saechao was the middle runner in a finishing pack of Cougars that included 7th grader Marcia Carabajal in the lead, along with 6th grader Mariza Supapo; all three girls came through the finish line within a span of only 10 seconds. With lots of other impressive performances by its rookie racers, the Crystal cross country team is poised for a very promising home course repeat in less than a week, when it will return to Mike Day Memorial Park to compete against David Weir, Dan O. Root, and Dover on October 8th. |
9.22.19 |
Cougars Shine at Preseason Invites
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With the first league race of the season still weeks away, a few super-motivated Crystal cross country runners satiated their competitive appetites in a series of preseason invitationals during the month of September. First on the calendar was the Lagoon Valley Classic in Vacaville; with only a few days of middle school running under their belts, rookies Kyle Durano and Mariza Supapo each broke the 6th grade school records - for boys and girls, respectively - on the 1.50-mile course. Just one week later, the two took on the very challenging, very hilly Hidden Valley Park course at the Ed Sias Invitational in Martinez, quickly achieving the milestone of running their first 2-mile race in only the second week of practice.
The following Saturday, Durano was joined by teammates Arelle Cortez, Brandon Meza-Angulo, and Evan Porter at the first FSUSD Runs This 5k of the school year. Even though the race itself - held at Laurel Creek Elementary - was longer than most of the practice runs the athletes had encountered so far, they each achieved top times for their ages and proved their high-mileage mettle. The fun continues as Crystal heads into the competitive portion of its season with our team's first league meet set for October 2nd. With tons of new and returning talent, Crystal is well positioned to have yet another amazing season! |
8.15.19 |
Cross Country is Back!
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Are you fast? Do you want to put your speed to the test while making friends and having fun? Cross country might be the perfect sport for you! Practice officially begins the second week of school on Wednesday, September 4th. To join the team, meet in Mr. Sturgis's room, F-203, at 3:20pm. Come dressed to run, but bring your backpack to the classroom.
Still have questions? Wondering what cross country is all about? Not sure if you can run Fast Like Us? We've got you covered - click here for more info! |
6.1.19 |
Record-Smashing Success at League Championships
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May 29th was a day of mixed emotions for the 8th graders of Crystal Middle School's track team. "I can't believe this is my last race of middle school," athlete Emmanuel Garcia remarked, just minutes before breaking his third school record in the 1600m relay. Garcia was far from alone in reminiscing over his middle school track experience while also celebrating several personal and team victories over the course of the two-day meet, which culminated on Wednesday. Also on his relay team were fellow 8th graders Christian Balthazor, Nashon Geeston, and Marcus Cunanan, all of whom ran multiple years in middle school as teammates, and fittingly won the last race of their middle school careers together. Their time of 4:16.76 was nearly 8 seconds faster than the time they had run just one week before - with star sprinter Nigel Rodgers running in Balthazor's place - which itself was a school record, beating 2nd-place Public Safety Academy by over 30 seconds.
Before joining forces in the 4 x 400m, Garcia and Cunanan had each toppled school records in two other events: Garcia in the 1600m and long jump, and Cunanan in the 800m and standing long jump. Geeston sailed to 3rd-all-time in the 400m. Although she didn't break her school records set the previous year, 8th-grade female standout Marian Supapo was determined to compete after a debilitating leg injury and persevered in three distance running events. With plenty of time still ahead of him in middle school, 6th grader Evan Porter nabbed the top 6th-grade spot in the long jump. On the girls side, fellow 6th grader Alaysia Germaine was the 6th-grade shot put champion, with her 22'9" throw launching her to 3rd place on the 6th grade school record board. 7th grader Makayla Saeteurn was on fire in her 1600m performance, lopping 24 seconds off her best mile time of only two weeks prior to finish in 7:05.96. Saeteurn also leapt to 2nd-all-time in the standing long jump with a distance of 6-0. Saeteurn's friend and teammate Kairi Saechao also did well in multiple events, highlighted by a 3rd-all-time 800m race. Meanwhile, 7th-grader Jericho Johnson nabbed 2nd-all-time in the boys shot put with a distance of 38'6.5". 8th grade, 7th, and 6th, we're very proud of all our athletes, and it's been a joy coaching you all and witnessing all the progress you've made over the course of the past weeks, months, and years. We're looking forward to seeing and hearing about all your continued success in the future! |
5.17.19 |
Rainy Day Win for Cougars
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A rare spring storm put a damper on the scrimmage between Crystal and B. Gale Wilson's track teams on Thursday, but there was no extinguishing the competitive drive displayed by both teams, with Crystal's boys and B. Gale's girls winning their divisions. Emmanuel Garcia and Marcus Cunanan led the way in the boys mile, while Makayla Saeteurn was first for the girls, with teammate JD Ayon picking up third place. In the 100m, 8th grader Nigel Rogers shaved a second off his time from last year's scrimmage in a very competitive race in which the top 4 athletes - including fellow 8th grader Christian Balthazor - all finished within a half-second of him. In the girls race, Milan McCane similarly rose to the challenge and beat her time of a year ago by 1.7 seconds. Rogers went on to also win the 200m, and the Crystal boys finished with a substantial, nearly half-minute lead in the 1600m relay, catapulting them to the overall win when combined with the results of the shot put sweep squad of Nashon Geeston, Miguel Salas, and Jericho Johnson. McCane won the girls shot put.
With league championships less than a week away, the Cougars proved that even adverse weather can't keep them down. Nonetheless, the weather report calls for bluer skies next Wednesday as all the district's middle schools converge on Armijo High's newly-remodeled stadium for what promises to be a meet full of PR's and school records. |
3.25.19 |
Johnson Sets 6th Grade Mileage Record
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Hard work and preparation paid off over the weekend for Crystal track and cross country runner Rhema Johnson, who competed in the 9th Annual She is Beautiful Santa Cruz 10k. While taking in the coastal scenery, Johnson cruised her way to a new school record, becoming the first Crystal 6th grader to run over 6 miles at once. With months of training under her belt, Johnson stated that the race itself was challenging, but that she never doubted she would achieve her goal. Congratulations, Rhema!
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10.30.18 |
Cougars Cap Stellar Season with New Records, Team Party
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Running on Green Valley's deceptively difficult course at last Tuesday's final league meet of the 2018 season, Marian Supapo had one goal above all others: don't finish in 10:24 again. The dedicated 8th grade athlete had finished with exactly that same time in both her 6th and 7th grade years on Green Valley's slightly hilly 1.50-mile course, and she wasn't aiming for a three-peat. "I wouldn't even mind 10:23; just not 10:24 again!" she said. Fortunately, Supapo achieved her goal and broke through with a new course PR and school record of 10:13, while teammate Marcia Carabajal took the 2nd-all-time spot with a time of 10:58. Emmanuel Garcia tied the boys' school record with a time of 9:18, while Marcus Cunanan leapt from 17th-all-time to 2nd, improving his speed on the course by over 2 minutes in the process.
One week later, the Cougars held their end-of-season team party celebrating their hard work and success over the past two amazing months. In addition to the usual food, drinks, and music, this year's event featured the long-awaited donut 4x400m relay, as well as Crystal's first-ever color war. In the end, the iron-stomached team of Emmanuel Garcia, Makayla Saeteurn, Marian Supapo, and Paul Kasperek managed to consume their four donuts and race around the CMS track faster than any other team, earning them the inaugural title in the outlandish event. Afterward, the entire team took to the field, ambushing each other with over ten pounds of color powder provided by Supapo and thoroughly - but not permanently - dyeing themselves and everything around them a multitude of hues. It was a great end to a fantastic season - we are extremely proud of our runners! |
10.23.18 |
Scavenger Hunt Run Kicks Off Final Week of Practice
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Crystal's cross country team exercised their imaginations as well as their legs on Monday, running around the Suisun Waterfront and staging creative, hilarious, and just plain weird photographs in response to 16 different prompts in the team's annual photo scavenger hunt run. Guided by cues involving superheroes, tattoos, and ice cream - among other crazy things - the boys and girls faced off in a friendly competition that resulted in a lot of fun for both sides. Click the photo to check out all the entertaining pictures they came up with!
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10.18.18 |
Crystal Athletes Take First Place at Doug Butt Memorial Race
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After their successful league competition against David Weir on Tuesday, Cougar athletes Marcia Carabajal, Rhema Johnson, Marain Supapo, Emmanuel Garcia, and Andre Smith kept the momentum going with an additional race the very next day, picking up two first-pace finishes and three school records at the Doug Butt Memorial Race at Laruel Creek Park on Wednesday. Carabajal and Johnson ran in the 6th grade girls race, with Carabajal taking first place and securing another 6th grade girls school record for the second day in a row with a time of 6:42 on the 1-mile course. Supapo, winning her third consecutive Doug Butt Race, led the 7th and 8th grade girls in a time of 5:57 - her first time under 6 minutes on the course, and a new school record. In the 7th and 8th grade boys race, Garcia missed first place by just 4 seconds, but nonetheless scored a huge school record on the course, hitting 5:16. "I don't think anyone was expecting to see middle schoolers running that fast," remarked former Cougar athlete Austin Calma, who served as a course monitor and rabbit alongside current Armijo varsity teammates and Crystal alums Jojo Navasca and Alexandro Meza. "I was really impressed by the Crystal runners," he added.
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10.16.18 |
Happy at Home!
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For 8th graders Emmanuel Garcia and Marian Supapo, the final home competition of their middle school cross country careers definitely could've gotten off to a smoother start. After their bus was delayed on the way back to school from a field trip, the pair scrambled to make it to the starting line in time to race on the Suisun Waterfont one last time, in their meet versus David A. Weir Preparatory Academy. Impressively, the two overcame the stress of their ordeal to run excellent races: Supapo finished just 5 seconds shy of her PR, and Garcia cut 17 seconds off of his. Garcia, who with an 8:18 broke his own school record set the previous week, was elated. "Since I'll be in high school next year, I knew I had to get that time as low as possible in order to have a chance at keeping the record for a while," he said.
Although Garcia kept his grip on the school record, his teammate Marcus Cunanan was not far behind, finishing in 8:28. Former Crystal runner Abraham Perez - now attending Weir - rounded out the top 3 with a PR of his own, 8:36. Cougars Andre Smith and Christian Balthazor improved their previous bests by half a minute, finishing in 4th and 5th place with times of 9:30 and 9:33, respectively. In the girls race, 6th grade standout Marcia Carabajal finished in 2nd place behind Supapo, running a 39-second PR to finish in 10:11, which also catapulted her to the top spot on the 6th grade girls record board. Finishing in 4th place overall, Makayla Saeteurn launched herself to 2nd on the 7th grade girls all-time list with a total time of 10:21 - a 56-second PR over the week before. Aizelle Vinluan, another of Crystal's amazing 6th grade squad, PR'ed by 45-seconds and secured 5th all-time. Fellow 6th grader Rhema Johnson surpassed her own goal with flying colors; aiming for a finish in the 14:30 range, Johnson blazed through the finish line in 13:55, achieving an improvement of nearly 2 minutes on her previous best. With their wins against Weir, the Crystal boys and girls completed their series of 3 home meets undefeated. They will compete at Green Valley next Tuesday, with some runners additionally racing in tomorrow's Doug Butt Memorial Run at Laurel Creek Park. |
10.10.18 |
Cougars Victorious Over PSA
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In their first-ever head-to-head competition with Public Safety Academy, the Crystal cross country team emerged victorious in both the boys and girls races on Tuesday at the Suisun Waterfront. The meet began with a nail-biter in the boys race that saw 8th grader Emmanuel Garcia finish the 1.40-mile course with a time of 8:35, toppling the 8:36 school record held by Alexandro Meza for the past two years. While most of the Cougar boys PR'ed by 5-10 seconds, 8th grader Paul Kasperek - returning to the course for the first time in almost a year - cut an impressive 45 seconds off his previous best.
The excitement continued into the girls race, where 8th grade phenom Marian Supapo beat her own school record - set just last week - by an astonishing 23 seconds to finish in 9:06. 7th grader Kairi Saechao made her competitive debut in the race, finishing 4th for Crystal and 5th overall in a very impressive run that saw her finish comfortably under 12:00. Even though PSA's team was twice the size of Crystal's, the Cougars won with a commanding lead in both divisions. The final home meet of the season will take place next week versus David A. Weir. |
10.3.18 |
Crystal Wins Tri-Meet
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The Crystal Cougars XC team came out swinging in their first of three home meets, toppling three other teams in the process. Despite a forfeit from Matt Garcia Career and College Academy, the Cougars had plenty of competition at their Suisun Waterfront course on Tuesday due to a pre-arranged format change that saw them hosting multiple teams instead of just one. The girls were led once again by 8th grader Marian Supapo, who achieved an all-time best of 9:29 on the 1.40-mile course before jetting off to play in Crystal's volleyball game, also against Grange. Several of Crystal's rookie female athletes showed improvements of around 2 minutes compared to just one week ago, including Makayla Saeteurn, Marcia Carabajal, and Aizelle Vinluan.
Not to be outdone, the boys showed similar improvement in their race, with Marcus Cunanan closing the gap to finish just a hair behind teammate Emmanuel Garcia and Dover's top runner Jason Tejada - all three finished with the same time of 8:52. Breaking into the single-digits for the first time, 7th grader Andre Smith knocked over a minute off his previous best on the course to finish in 9:52. Although all of the Cougars' improvements were impressive, 8th grade girl JD Ayon and 6th grade boy De'Mauriae Ross definitely had this week's biggest, cutting nearly 5 minutes off their PR's to finish with times of 12:30 and 13:37, respectively. |
9.26.18 |
New Course Greets Cougars at First League Meet
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The Crystal cross country team headed to B. Gale Wilson on Tuesday for its first official league meet of the 2018 season, and did not leave disappointed. Running on a newly-configured course, the boys squad suffered a narrow loss to B. Gale, but stellar efforts - led by new XC runner Emmanuel Garcia - showed a lot of promise for upcoming competitions. In the girls race, first place went to three-year veteran runner Marian Supapo, who led a team of brand new runners to victory against B. Gale's more experienced athletes. 7th grader Makayla Saeteurn and 6th grader Marcia Carabajal rounded out Crystal's top 3, allowing only one B. Gale athlete between them and their teammate Supapo. Meanwhile, 6th grader Cadence Copeland improved her personal record set at Lagoon Valley by two-and-a-half minutes, despite the hillier terrain of the B. Gale course.
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9.17.18 |
Crystal 2 Crystal
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We've got a new three-city runner on our hands! Crystal's very own Marcus Cunanan ran from our school all the way to Vacaville on Saturday, visiting all three high schools in the city on foot for a total run distance of 14.3 miles, the day after his 14th birthday.
Cunanan was inspired, on a whim, to run by Vacaville's historic Crystal House before finishing his workout. The detour paid off with an awesome experience: not only do the descendants of our school's namesake, George Washington Crystal, still live there, they were outside gardening at the time he ran by - Cunanan learned some history from them and even got a picture with G.W. Crystal's great-great-great-granddaughter! "It was really good timing, to be able to meet them" Cunanan remarked afterward. Cunanan is the second Crystal (and district) athlete to have the distinction of running through all 3 cities of Suisun, Fairfield, and Vacaville in a single workout, after Alexandro Meza did it in 2017. |
9.9.18 |
Cougars Tear It Up at Invites
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Getting a head start on the official racing season, several Cougar runners made their way to Vacaville early this month to compete at the storied Lagoon Valley Classic invitational. In the first race of the day, 8th grader Marcus Cunanan battled his way to a medal and the 2nd-fastest Crystal-run time on the 1.5-mile course, finishing safely under ten minutes with a time of 9:53.2. Next up, in the girls race, Marian Supapo showed solid improvement over her previous best time, running 28 seconds faster than she did a year ago to renew her school record at 10:30.0.
Supapo was also the lone Cougar to brave the hilly, 2-mile Hidden Valley course one week later at the Ed Sias Invitational in Martinez, destroying her previous best time by over 3 minutes. Setting a smart pace from the very get-go, she finished with a time of 13:29 - completely obliterating her 16:46 performance of a year prior. |
5.25.18 |
Champions Again!
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The 2018 track and field season came to a close on Wednesday, and the Crystal Cougars had a lot to celebrate. From start to finish, both the boys and girls teams performed at their highest levels, resulting in plenty of new school records and catapulting their squads to the district's top spots. Although the girls fell just short of the championship title, they were buoyed by some especially strong showings. 7th grader Marian Supapo improved her mile time by over 15 seconds at the meet, netting her a personal record of 6:00.66 and securing her title of 1600m school record holder for another year. Supapo's teammates Cristina Leanos and Valeria Perez also achieved improvements that gained them the #2 and #3 spots on the all-time list. Just prior to the girls' huge success, the boys "dream team" of Raekwon Bell, Emmanuel Garcia, and Isaac Cervantes easily nabbed the top 3 spots in the same race, all blasting through the finish line within a span of 8 seconds. Bell's 5:23.18 performance broke the previous school record set two years ago by Luis Calva, while Garcia set the 7th grade record with a time of 5:29.66. Garcia then went on to secure the 7th grade record in the 800m and the overall school record in the long jump.
In the sprints, Nigel Rogers continued his streak of success, blasting onto the school record boards at #1 in both the 100m and 200m, while in the 400m Paul Kasperek came away with the 7th grade record and Mikayla Rodriguez improved her time by 10 seconds from one year ago to nab the 3rd-all-time spot in the event. Kasperek was also part of a larger shakeup to the standing long jump record board, in which he now holds the 3rd-all-time place, only eclipsed by Alejandro Godinez's jump of 7-4 and Marcus Cunanan's leap of 8-4, and followed by Christian Balthazor at 6-9; all four boys broke the previous school record of 6-7 set in 2016. Olivia Thompson had her fun in the standing long jump as well, setting the girls school record for the third straight year, coincidentally beating her previous mark by 8 inches, just as she had in 2017. The meet was capped with fantastic performances in the 1600m relay, in which Crystal boys Rogers, Cunanan, Bell, and Anthony Marroquin notched another 1st-place victory and beat last year's school record by an astonishing 16 seconds; then, an exhilarating relay between Melanie Opolentisima, Rodriguez, Leanos, and Supapo earned the girls 1st place in the extremely close race and vaulted them to 2nd-all-time. It was a busy, rewarding season for the Cougars. With several longtime members of the team heading off to high school next year, the indelible positive effect they've had on our team is a testament to their dedication. In keeping with this legacy, the youngsters are primed to continue the Crystal tradition of success in 2019 and beyond. Great work, everyone! |
5.3.18 |
Cougars Debut with Double Wins
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Weeks and months of preparation paid off for Crystal's track and field team on Wednesday in their annual scrimmage against the Wildcats of B. Gale Wilson. Cougars with sprinting aspirations flocked to the 400m relay, fielding an unprecedented six teams in the one race. In the mile, Cougars Raekwon Bell, Emmanuel Garcia, Isaac Cervantes, Jaydin Borromeo, Raymond Holt, Marcus Cunanan, Christian Balthazor, and Marian Supapo all demonstrated their distance dominance by beating out B. Gale's first finisher. In fact, Bell went on to place first in several events throughout the meet, including his 1600m win, the 400m, 800m, and shot put. Likewise, Supapo took first in all her races as well, with a close win in the 1600m relay that almost didn't happen when the team was short one member. Fortunately, 7th grader Amora Johnson, fresh out of soccer, volunteered to fill the spot and helped bring the Cougars to victory.
Rookie sprinters Nigel Rogers, Charly Reid, and Melanie Opolentisima placed exceptionally well in their first-ever races, with veterans such as Alejandro Godinez, Jonathan Lau, and Victor Mariano rounding out the top-notch roster that saw the boys take a 50-point lead and the girls take a 23-point lead over the course of the meet. Eighth grader Olivia Thompson, in her third and final year competing for Crystal, dominated the field events with a shot put distance of 34-8, while newcomer teammate Milan McCane followed in second place. On the boys' side, Bell - also a three-year athlete - took first with a throw of 36-11, with 7th grader Miguel Salas finishing in second, within just one inch of the 30-foot mark. Crystal's fantastic performance bodes well for the team as league championship trials approach in two weeks. In the meantime, the Cougars will continue to follow a rigorous training regimen while balancing the demands of state testing that is already underway. Luckily, as one of our runners put it, "Crystal athletes are always up for a challenge!" |
4.29.18 |
Half-Marathon Man
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For 7th grader Marcus Cunanan, running 13.1 miles - exactly half the distance of a marathon - was like a walk in the park. "I'm very happy to hit the milestone I set nearly a month ago!" the first-year athlete said of his accomplishment, "I thought this was going to be a difficult run, but here we are running it with ease." Cunanan has steadily been building up his mileage ever since he joined the cross country team at the tail end of last season, and has seen his endurance skyrocket as a result. His latest record-setting run on Saturday took him along Fairfield's Linear Park Trail and into Solano Community College, where he felt so energized that he added on a run through the campus before returning to Crystal.
"I was tired at first, but by the time we got to the college, I felt great," Cunanan remarked. He is only the second Crystal athlete to achieve half-marathon status after Alexandro Meza accomplished the feat last year, but is the first 7th grader to do so. He now has Meza's 24.59-mile school record in his sights, and a whole year left to reach it. For his part, Cunanan plans to continue on the dedicated path that's brought him so much success already: "I think I'll just keep adding miles a little bit at a time, and then someday I'll be able to run a whole marathon." |