By Denise Chavez
The men’s cross country beat South Coast Conference rival, Los Angeles Trade Tech College by one point at the Cross Country State Championships last Saturday in Fresno.
“We finally did it. We beat Trade Tech. Overall this was a tough season, but we got through it and we made it to state,” Husky Gonzalo Ceja said.
Ceja and Kris Chacon were the top two runners for the Huskies.
They both placed in the top 60 out of the 200 runners in the men’s four-mile race.
Ceja, Chacon and Andrew Torres ended their Husky careers on the cross-country team.
The team was not expected to even reach the post season.
They compete in the toughest conference in the state. SCC rivals Mt. San Antonio, Cerritos and El Camino colleges are ranked in the top 10 and Trade Tech is also ranked.
The Huskies had to beat SCC rivals Long Beach City and Pasadena City colleges to qualify for the post season.
The SCC sends five teams to the post season because of their strengths.
The Huskies got two upsets in the SCC finals to qualify for the SoCal Championships.
They upset several colleges to make it to the state finals.
“Perseverance pays off,” Chacon said.
When asked ending your Husky career in the state finals Chacon said, “the experience was great, especially to spend it with my teammates.”
Returning to the team next season are Cristian Flores, Jesse Bonilla, Luis Requelme-Colin and Rene Flores.
“We worked hard this year to get where we did,” Torres said.
