The Fillmore Condors Youth Cross Country team concluded their post season by participating in the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics National Cross Country Championships held at the Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday, December 12th. Twelve Fillmore athletes participated in the cold and rainy winter cross country running events held at an altitude of 5,000 feet above sea level with temperatures of 30 degrees.

The Condors were represented by Leah Barragan, Destiny Cardona, Andrea Laureano, Juan Carlos Laureano, Niza Laureano, Rey Laureano, Syenna Ponce, Alix Tirado, Emma Torres, Michael-Camilo Torres, and Jordyn Walla. An alumni of the Condors program and local athlete Neveah Walla also competed.

The athletes qualified for the event by finishing in the top eight of the Valley Youth Conference and finishing in the top 25 individually or being a member of the top three teams of the USATF Jr. Olympics Region 15 Championship race that was held on November 22nd in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The team’s highest honors this season were won by Niza Laureano who was the girls 8 years old & under Valley Youth Conference Champion. She also won the USATF Southern California Jr. Olympics Championship as well as the USATF Jr. Olympics Region 15 Championship title. She earned a third place finish and title of “USATF Jr. Olympic All American” in the National Championship which included 197 runners in her division. She also was the top finisher of her team and earned a 1st place team championship along with her teammate and cousin Emma Torres. Leah Barragan and Destiny Cardona also ran in the girls 8 year old & under division as part of the Valley Youth Conference’s “B Team” a second team of runners representing Region 15 that finished in 6th place. The girls 8 & under divisions ran 1.24 mile (2,000 meter) races.

Four more Condors also earned team awards. In the boys 11 & 12 year old division, cousins Rey Laureano and Michael-Camilo Torres earned 3rd place team medals. In the girls 11 & 12 year old division, Fillmore representatives Alix Tirado and Jordyn Walla earned 3rd place team medals. Both groups ran 1.86 mile (3,000 meter) races. Jordyn Walla also earned the title of “USATF Jr. Olympic All American” with a 25th place finish out of 301 runners in her division race. Only the top 25 finishers of each division earn “All American” honors.

Andrea Laureano ran in the girls 9 & 10 year old division’s 1.86 mile race. Syenna Ponce and Nevaeh Walla ran in the girls 13 & 14 year old division’s 2.48 mile (4,000 meter) race. Juan Carlos Laureano ran in the boys 13 & 14 year old division’s 2.48 mile (4,000 meter) race.

The Condors are coached by Rafael Laureano who stated, “I am happy to continue coaching these great kids in this cross country program. These kids’ accomplishments are extraordinary. They ran in tough conditions and represented us well. It is important for them to know we can accomplish great things but we must not only act, but also dream.” The Condors Team President Erika Arana would like to thank the following for sponsoring the Condors and making the team’s dreams become reality: El Pescador, Elkins Ranch, Fillmore Fire Department, Fillmore Lions Club, Fillmore Rotary Club, Heritage Valley Blazers Track & Field, and Yanni’s.