Hernandez, Gomez Power ELAC to 2nd Overall at Golden West Classic

by Cerwin D Haynes

(thumbnail courtesy of elac_trackandfield_xc IG)

East LA College Women's Cross Country made strides last year to convert from a one-woman show to a stronger overall team. With a second-place overall finish at today's Golden West Central Park Classic, it appears they are continuing in the right direction.

Freshman Jasmine Hernandez (20:11.47) and sophomore Xitlali Gomez (20:12.92) finished seventh and eighth respectively to power ELAC to #2 overall (114 pts), edging out South Coast Conference rival Cerritos College (115 pts) who came into today ranked second in the conference and sixth in the state.

"Good showing by the women today," commented ELAC head coach Milton Browne. "They're hyped."

Hernandez was one of the top JUCO runners last week at the Biola Invite, a run that mixed JUCO and university participants - she finished only behind a quartet of Orange Coast College runners, who happened to take the top spot at today's run. 

Coach Browne is pleased with his freshman's effort in the early goins. "She's real consistent and works hard," said Browne. "She has a big impact."

Hernandez and Gomez were joined by three other Pack members in the run:

• Renata Cuevas (So) placed 32nd with 21:47.94. 

• Cassidy Quintanar (So) came in 35th with a 21:53.89 time. 

• Jaslin Hernandez (Fr) completed the scoring for ELA in the women's, placing 60th with 23:42.80.

Coach Browne says there's a lot of room for improvement. He highlighted the return of sophomore Cuevas as an example of how much better the team can get. "We got Renata back," remarked Browne. "Just need to give her more time to move up."

UP NEXT:

The Pack are back on the trails next Saturday, Septermber 27, at UC Riverside for the UCR Run Invite.