Flo50 Girls Team Rankings Countdown

Cory Mull

9. 

Great Oak (California) has history on its side as it returns for the 2017 season.The program's high rank stems from their tradition of reloading rather than rebuilding, especially considering they graduated five of seven scorers from last year's third-place NXN team. But that finish came after two consecutive years of high finishes -- third in 2015 and second in 2014 -- so if the past is any indication, expect the team to continue in that trend with another bid to NXN. Last year's winners of CIF will have some ground to make up with talented teams in California, but don't count out Douglas Soles' program one bit. Senior Sandra Pfughoft will lead the squad as it pushes forward in the fall. 

Probable Top Seven: 
Sandra Pfughoft, senior: she finished 12th in the D1-D2 team championships at Mt. SAC, was ninth at the CIF Southern Section, 20th at the CIF DI championships, and 96th at NXN. She won the Southwestern League finals. Her season best PB in the 5K was 17:50.50.

Tori Gaitan, sophomore: a transfer from Yucaipa, she was 13th at the Asics Clovis Invitational in 18:00.50 and was 35th at CIF DI.

Devin Ito, sophomore: she won the Fr-So race at the Asics Clovis Invite, was fourth at the Southwestern League Championships, was 24th at CIF DI and 110th at NXN. Her season best was 18:19.70 at the 5K distance. 

Audrey Dang, sophomore: she was third at the Fr-So race at the Asics Clovis Invitational and first in the junior varsity race at the Southwestern League Championships. Her season best was 19:32.00 at the 5K.
 
Fatima Cortes, junior: she was fourth at the Fr-So race at the Asics Clovis Invitational and 11th at the Foot Locker West Regional. She ran a season PB of 19:35.00 in the 5K. 

Arianna Griffiths, sophomore: she finished fifth at the Fr-So race at the Asics Clovis Invitational in a season 5K of 19:42.40.

Jessica Janesek, junior: she was sixth at the Asics Clovis Invitational in a season PB of 19:47.50 at the 5K. She was third in the junior varsity race at the Southwestern League Championships.   

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Great Oak (California) High head coach Douglas Soles answered a few questions about his upcoming season. See his answers below. 

How long have you coached at your school? 

I've been at Great Oak since we opened in 2004, with myself and coach Dan Noble. This will be our 14th cross country season we have coached.

What is your meet schedule this fall?

Our big meets will be Woodbridge on September 16, Roy Griak on September 23, Clovis on October 7, and Mt. SAC on October 21.

How has your summer training gone for your team? What do you focus on during the summer months?

This has been the first summer in the last few years where most of our kids were actually able to focus on XC and build a solid base. I think that will help us late in the season, compared to season's past. Our focus is on physical development as four of our top girls are sophomores.

Which athletes do you see as the probable top five this season?

We have a really young and inexperienced group, but they are coming along well.

Tori Gaitan - 10
Sandra Pflughoft - 12
Arianna Griffiths - 10
Fatima Cortes - 11
Audrey Dang - 10
Devin Ito - 10

Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?

We are a young team so we are leaning on a lot of new leaders. Sandra Pflughoft and Ericka Burgess are our seniors with the most leadership experience and are leading the way for our young group.

Who are some new faces who will make an impact on your team this year (i.e. freshmen, transfers, runners who have improved a lot)?

Tori Gaitan moved here after running at Yucaipa last season. She is an extremely talented athlete and will make a huge impact on our team this season. Frosh Georgie Mandel, Caroline Jilek, and Lauren Buckley will help us a lot later in the season as they get some racing under their belts. Fatima Cortes looks to be our big improver. She has worked really hard and is considerably faster than last year.

What are some staple workouts your team does during the season?

This season we are really focusing on our hill sprints and overall body strength.

What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?

Tradition. Our girls want to make sure that they carry on the success of the girls that came before them and they are working extremely hard to make sure that happens.

What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?

Lack of experience may affect us early on. I think this team will close the season as well as any team I've ever coached. The pieces are all there for us to finish top three at NXN.

How would you describe your team's culture?

We have a culture designed to develop athletes and to focus on being successful as a team. Our focus is on putting together winning teams each season, and making sure we always have a lot of kids developing in the pipeline.

What are your top three goals for the team this fall?

The athletes set the goals on our team. They want to win state, finish on the podium at NXN, and focus on forming a strong team bond this season. They know their future is bright.


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Top Returning 5K Times From 2016 XC Season

AVERAGEGreat Oak High School (SS) (CA)
17:50.50
2) Devin Ito18:19.70
19:32.00
19:35.00
19:42.40
Average Time: 18:59.92 Total Time: 1:34:59.60 1-5 Split: 1:51.90
19:47.50
19:53.70

Top Returning 1600m Times From 2017 Outdoor Track Season

AVERAGEGreat Oak High School (SS) (CA)
4:58.55
5:05.10
5:12.64
5:14.07
5:18.71
Average Time: 5:09.81 Total Time: 25:49.07 1-5 Split: 20.16
6) Devin Ito5:20.24
5:21.34

Top Returning 3200m Times From 2017 Outdoor Track Season

AVERAGEGreat Oak High School (SS) (CA)
10:45.20
10:56.51
3) Devin Ito11:06.53
11:15.07
11:32.95
Average Time: 11:07.25 Total Time: 55:36.26 1-5 Split: 47.75
11:45.11
11:57.89

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