On Friday, September 8th Fillmore's Cross Country teams competed at the Rosemead Invitational. The course is fairly flat with many turns, a few hills, and 50 % grass. Eight races were contested, four at each grade level for both boys and girls.

The first race of the day featured the freshman girls. For the second race in a row, they were led by Isabela De La Cruz who finished in 72nd place in 25:02.5, followed by Liliana Felix 112th in 27:34.2, and Aliyah Heredia 117th in 27:48.2.

The freshman boys team had the top team finish of the day. They finished in second place overall, two points out of first. They were led by Rey Laureano, who finished in second place in an excellent 17:17.1. He was supported by outstanding running from Jesse De La Cruz 10th in 18:13.4, Fabian Del Villar 12th in 18:25.8, Matthew Munoz 28th in 19:05.5, David Bustos 92nd in 21:18.4 and Erick Gutierrez 131st in 22:44. The top 4 individuals in this race were also medal winners, and the team won a second place plaque.

The sophomore girls performed very well with all 3 finishing in the top 24 and medaling. Top finisher was Vanessa Avila in 6th place running a swift 20:12.2. She was followed by a much improved Giselle Perez 15th in 20:51.9, and Nicole Gonzalez 24th in 21:40.7.

The Sophomore boys finished in 8th place in the team competition. The best time in this division was turned in by newcomer Davis Flores. Davis ran an excellent 17:39.6 and finished in 11th. He was followed by Jesse Martinez 20th in 17:58.9, Alexander Manzo 35th in 18:46.5, Andrew Otineru 74th in 19:43.9, and Samuel Kafka 137th in 21:14.4. The top three runners were awarded medals for their top performances.

The junior girls team finished in 7th place in the team competition. They were led by Fillmore’s lone Division Champion Carissa Rodriguez who claimed 1st place in a race of 183 competitors. Her finish time was an impressive 18:44.4. Carissa was awarded a coveted 1st place champion trophy for her fine effort. Diana Perez also ran well finishing in 7th place, posting a time of 19:30.5. She was followed by Cecilia Cisneros 44th in 21:45.1, Emma Orozco 58th in 22:31.7, and Marisol Ramos 158th in 28:33.7. Four of these competitors were medal recipients.

The junior boys ran well enough to finish in 7th place as a team. The top three individuals in this race won medals. They were led by Sergio Perez who finished in 7th place running a season best of 16:56.9. He was followed by Antonio Villalobos 50th in 18:43.1, Alex Recancoj 52nd in 18:43.5, Joseph Magdaleno 88th in 19:43.2, Luis Leon 120th in 20:42.3, Daniel Cruz 124th in 20:54.6, and Jesus Cadena 142nd in 21:58.

The senior girls finished well. They were led by Jacqueline Chavez in 20th place running a time of 21:03.9, she was followed by Allison Recancoj 30th in 21:40.5, and Michele Reyes 52nd in 23:11. All 3 athletes medaled.

The senior boys ran a fine race finishing in third place and winning a team plaque for their strong effort. The top 5 finishers for Fillmore earned individual medals. Leading the charge was senior standout runner Michael Sanchez who showed he was in excellent early season form moving from 20th place to finish in 5th place in a time of 16:08.8, he was followed by Everardo Garcia Magana 13th in 16:33.6, Jesus Castro 19th in 16:49.1, Juan Ramirez 30th in 17:13.8, Jonathan Ordaz 59th in 18:18.9, Gustavo Valdez 81st in 19:21.2, and Eric Hernandez 95th in 619:56.0.

The Flashes will next travel as a split squad with several athletes traveling to the prestigious Woodbridge Invitational on Friday, September 15th and the other group competing on Saturday, September 16th at the Ojai Invitational.