West Valley's Open Men closed out the 2015 cross country season on a high note finishing 20th overall at the USATF National Club XC Championships. In what has become an almost routine display, Malcolm Richards (26th overall) led the team with a 30:17 performance over the 10 km course through Golden Gate Park. Kevin Pool (74th) capped off a spectacular debut season with a 31:19 clocking, while newcomer Nick Spector (137th) proved his worth crossing the line in 32:12. Hot on his heels was Alex Varner (143rd)--coming off back-to-back weeks of ultra racing--in 32:17. Austin Ramos (196th) closed out the scoring team with a 32:55 followed closely behind by Ryan Irwin (205th) in 33:01.
Not to be outdone, Tyler Deniston laid down the hammer in the B race with a 33:41 followed by Mitch VanBruggen in 33:58 for his first XC race of the season. While not everyone could have stand-out performances, the team showed they weren't running in anyone's shadow. A solid effort was put in by all no matter which race. Overall the men fielded 21 runners between the two races, all looking to experience the return of the National Championships to the City by the Bay after a 9-year hiatus.
A Race
20. 506 West Valley Track Club-A ( 31:48 2:39:00 2:38) ============================================= 1 23 Malcolm Richards 33 30:17 1123 2 62 Kevin Pool 32 31:19 1121 3 119 Nicholas Spector 23 32:12 1124 4 125 Alex Varner 30 32:17 1127 5 177 Austin Ramos 31 32:55 1122 6 (186) Ryan Irwin 31 33:01 1114 7 (252) Benjamin Koss 35 34:06 1119 8 (260) Benny Willers 25 34:16 1128
B Race
5. 117 West Valley Track Club-B ( 34:10 2:50:46 0:51) ============================================= 1 13 Tyler Deniston 24 33:41 1111 2 19 Mitch VanBruggen 30 33:58 1126 3 25 Garrett Cullen 23 34:17 1109 4 26 David Urista 25 34:18 1125 5 34 Edward Breen 34 34:32 1108 6 ( 44) Matthew Kane 31 34:52 1116 7 ( 49) Jamey Gifford 37 35:58 1113 8 ( 50) Jeffrey Czyz 34 36:23 1110