By Angel Vallin
Staff Writer

ELAC women’s cross-country runner Jasmine Hernandez finished in 11th place at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational with a total run time of 20:34.4. 

Hernandez received a medal for her performance in the women’s individual race for college athletes. Medals were awarded for placing in the Top 15. 

“I’m really proud of myself. Mt. SAC is known as one of the most challenging courses and to be able to place in the top 15, I think it feels really good. It goes to show how much effort we put in every day,“ Hernandez said

ELAC mens and womens cross- country athletes competed in their fourth meet of the season on Friday in the 78th Mt. SAC Cross-Country Invitational.

The women competed first in the three-mile race against 12 other junior colleges, but they did not place on the podium due to lack of runners and injuries.

“Some of them were a little banged up, and that course is not a course that if you’re banged up, you would want to run because it’s very challenging and difficult. 

So I just didn’t want to take the chance of them getting worse. So it’s best that we just run two girls as healthy and don’t have any issues,” Coach Milton Browne said. 

The Hilmer Lodge Stadium cross country course was four miles for the men’s event and three for the women’s.

The course consists of three different terrains. 

The first mile is in Valley Loop and the airstrip, the loop consists of hard-packed and smooth dirt with asphalt. 

This spot goes at an extreme pace, making it the best spot for the runners to overtake their opponents and reach for a better position. 

The second mile is in the Switchbacks with the Poop Out Hill; the runners have to go up to the hill of loose and dusty dirt.

The runners need to have highly technical footwork during the Switchbacks. This area has four tight turns with dirt.

Between the Valley Loop and the Poop Out Hill is the entrance for the most vertical incline on the course. Runners need to reserve their energy and power up toward the loose steep grade. It is a mental and physical obstacle for the runners. 

The final mile is in the Reservoir Hill part, the tallest hill of the course. The ground here is hard-packed dirt. 

The hill tests the runner’s grit, seeing how you need to have energy to go uphill. The runners had a chance to come down on the asphalt at the end and take a right to reach the Gauntlet and finish off the race. 

Hernandez and freshman Ariel Wright were the runners for ELAC in the three-mile race.

Wright finished behind Hernandez in 21st place with a total run time of 21:53.6.

Glendale College led with 49 points. 

Freshman Amber Lopez led the race for Glendale and finished eigth place with the total run time of 20:14.9. 

Sophomore Jadyen Skefich from El Camino College placed first with a total run time of 18:24.6. 

The ELAC men’s squad competed in their four-mile race against 15 other junior colleges. 

They placed seventh overall with a total of 166 points.

Freshman Nicolas Gomez led the men’s team in the four mile, placing 28th place with a total run time of 24:09.2. 

“Honestly, it was a really challenging course, but to hear that we got a top seven is honestly pretty insane. I mean we did our best and this was, like I said, challenging, but we were ready for the challenge,” Gomez said.

Right behind him was sophomore Rey De Gante who finished 42nd with a total run time of 25:04.9 in this year’s invitational.

He finished 55th at the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational last year. 

Gante kept his spirits high by using a learned technique.

“A lot of positive talk. That really helps because if you’re just thinking about the negative, you’re going to do negative. 

“If you’re thinking about the positive, you’re more likely to stick by the positive,” Gante said.

Following Gante was Sophomore Corell Flowers, finishing in 44th place with a total run time of 25:06.1. 

Next, freshman Benjamin Stone placed 49th with a total run time of 25:27.7.

While sophomore Angel M Santiago, with a total run time of 26:15.4, earned a 65th place finish. 

Santiago competed in last year’s invitational with Gante; he placed 53rd with a total run time of 24:31.20. 

The last of the ELAC men’s competitors was sophomore Brandon Carmona, who placed 115th with a total run time of 35:04.8

Mt. SAC led the men’s back with 23 points. 

Sophomore Jonah Botello led the race for Mt. SAC and finished in first place with a total run time of 21:55.4. 

He was followed by freshman Ramon Dorado from Crafton Hills, who placed second with a total run time of 22:04.7.

Gomez was in first place at one point during the event.

As the race went along, he slowed down and lost his place.

“I couldn’t believe I was ahead of the pack, and it was just pretty shocking. 

I just kept going and I know I fell back as soon as the one-mile was over, but you know that didn’t stop me from trying to keep going and to finish.

I did pretty good for myself and I feel pretty proud of myself too,” Gomez said.

Next, the Huskies will compete in the SCC Championship.

The race is set to start on Friday with the time and location to be announced.