They may not get the same media splash reserved for sprinters, or even hurdlers, but distance runners remain the core of cross country and track and field teams.
Otay Ranch High School’s senior complement included eight student-athletes who had competed for the Mustangs since their freshman seasons. They came in along with current coach Julian Valdez, making this graduating class special.
“It’s my first graduating class, from freshmen to seniors,” Valdez said.
The journey has been eventful, filled with peaks and valleys, but it was never dull.
Seven seniors on the team earned special recognition from the coach: Colby Parise, Sara Williams, Andre Sison, Johan Gijon, Cristina Carrillo, Angelo Javier and Mckenzie Kelly.
The next stop for these seven Mustang grads is college.
Parise will attend BYU while Sison will attend UC Irvine. Gijon has plans to attend San Diego State University while Javier plans to attend UC San Diego, as does Williams.
Kelly will continue her cross country career at UC Santa Barbara.
Carrillo is still in the process of narrowing down her choice of college to attend.
It’s an impressive group — both on the running course and in the classroom.
Parade of champions
Parise departs Otay Ranch after competing four years in cross country and three years in track and field. During his stay at the school, the Mustangs won three cross country Mesa League championships (2016, 2018 and 2019) and one league banner in track and field (2019).
He was a team captain two years in cross country and one year in track, a two-time first team All-Mesa League runner in cross country, 2019 cross country team MVP and 2017 cross country outstanding underclassman award-winner.
His proudest moment came his junior year when he ran the entire second leg of the 4×1600 relay without a shoe.
“He showed what real heart looked like,” Valdez commented.
Williams leaves The Ranch as a three-sport athlete while earning 10 varsity letters: four years in cross country and track and field and two years in roller hockey. She also was an ASB officer.
A two-year team captain in cross country and one-year team captain in track, she received the 2017 track and field outstanding underclassman award, was a first team all-league runner in cross country in 2017 and 2017 Coaches Award recipient.
Valdez said he enjoyed watching Williams help build a program that had just 25 girls that went 5-5 her first two seasons combined to one that she leaves with 50 girls that has gone 8-2 the past two seasons.
Sison is a four-year cross country and four-year track and field athlete, serving two years a a cross country team captain.
Sison was part of two Mesa League cross country championship teams (2018, 2019) and one league championship in track (2019).
He received the 2019 Coaches Award and was a two-time second team all-league runner in cross country.
Valdez said he was most proud of Sison “earning his keep, leading by example throughout his senior year, being a mentor and helping Otay Ranch get to where it is today.”
Gijon is another four-year cross country and track and field participant.
He served two years as a cross country team captain and was a member of two league championship cross country teams (2018, 2019) and one league championship in track (2019).
A second-team all-league runner in 2019, he received the 2019 Coaches Award.
Valdez said there are too many proud moments to count where Gijon is concerned.
“The one that comes to mind is when Johan broke 4:50 in the mile his junior year and hugged myself and his teammates,” Valdez said. “He had done it.”
Carrillo served as president of Unified Sports on campus. She also competed three years in cross country and four years in track.
She served two years as a cross country team captain and one year as team captain for track.
She earned second-team All-Mesa League honors in cross country in 2018.
“Cristina is coming into her own as a leader,” Valdez said. “She’s putting herself in positions to learn and improve as an athlete and person. I see this especially in her service to the program as an ambassador to the community by attending nearly every volunteer event.”
Javier competed four years in both cross country and track and field, winning two cross country league titles (2018, 2019) and one in track (2019).
He served one year as a team captain in cross country.
Javier ran 17:30 in a cross country dual meet against Hilltop as a moment to be proud of, Valdez noted.
“It was his validation of his hard work over the past four years,” the Otay Ranch coach said. “It was not easy but he did it.”
Kelly competed two years in cross country and two years in track while serving as a Unified Sports club officer.
She showed her potential as a college athlete by winning last fall’s Metro Conference girls cross country individual championship and qualifying to compete in the CIF track postseason meets.
A team captain in both cross country and track, Kelly earned awards as the team’s 2019 cross country team MVP and 2019 outstanding track upperclassman.
Valdez said he was proud to see Kelly represent the Otay Ranch uniform in her league championship victory in cross country.
“It was the first time it had occurred since 2012,” he said.
Kelly won every conference race in which she competed this past season.
Valdez said he believes Kelly is the top female distance runner at the school since Carina Gillespie, a 2013 Mustang grad who went on to compete in track and field and cross country at the Air Force Academy after winning three CIF championships in the 800-meter run (2011, 2012 and 2013).
Gillespie is now a second lieutenant competing as a 1,500-meter runner in the Air Force World Class Athlete Program while training for the 2021 Olympic Games.
She received her commission form the academy in 2018.
While in Colorado Springs, she impacted the Falcons’ track and field program significantly.
She set a new academy record in the 1500 distance with a time of 4:14.96 at the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds. She placed among the top 25 competitors in the 1500 meters at the 2018 NCAA track and field championship meet in Eugene, Ore.
