SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Cross Country

Will it be a championship homecoming for BV's Osuna?

By Phillip Brents
Posted Aug. 26, 2004

CHULA VISTA -- Candice Osuna has one phrase to describe her homecoming. “Once a Baron, always a Baron,” she said.

A 1999 graduate of Bonita Vista High School, Osuna competed on the school’s cross country team. With her U.S. history teaching assignment now at her alma mater, she returns to take over the reins of this year’s cross country team.

She said it feels good to be back in familiar territory.

“Being back at Bonita has been truly rewarding,” she said. “I feel quite honored to be part of a great tradition of excellence once again and I feel doubly blessed because I am working alongside two great coaches, Julie and Jeff Phair, and have the great privilege of working with some amazing student-athletes. I am glad circumstances brought me back to both teach and coach at Bonita.”

Osuna inherits the Metro Conference’s defending behemoth as both the boys and girls teams captured Mesa League titles last season en route to top five and top 12 finishes, respectively, at the San Diego Section Division I championships.

It appears that little has changed in the five years since Osuna graduated.

Top varsity returners on the boys varsity team include senior Abraham Alvarez, the team’s all-league captain, seniors Michael Valdez, Mike Morales, Bersain Gutierrez and senior co-captain Patrick Raue.
Alvarez, Valdez and Morales return as All-Mesa League runners while Gutierrez placed second among JV runners.

Alvarez finished third in the combined conference race behind now graduated Troy Swier of Mar Vista and former Baron teammate Ryan Becijos. Alvarez finished 16 seconds behind Becijos and six seconds ahead of Chula Vista’s Ivan Villareal, the race’s fourth-place finisher. Valdez was sixth in the race, followed by Morales in 11th place.

Among Mesa League runners, Alvarez was second after Becijos while Valdez was fifth and Morales was 10th.

At the Division I finals, Valdez (as the team’s third finisher) was 34th, Alvarez (as the team’s fourth finisher) was 52nd and Morales (as the team’s seventh runner) was 71st among 149 finishers.

Top returners on the girls varsity team include senior captains Katie Leahy and Keri Elkins, fellow senior Soleil Joya and sophomore Topacio Palomino.

Leahy, also a fine swimmer during the spring sports season, placed 22nd in last year’s conference finals (16th among league finishers).

Top newcomers to the boys varsity team include a trio of standout sophomores: Austin Jett, Eric Avila and Christopher Close.

Jett strode to last year’s Mesa League boys junior varsity championship, followed by Avila (third) and Close (13th). Avila completed a phenomenal spring track season by placing second in the 3,200-meter run as a freshman at the league finals.

Top newcomers to the girls varsity team include senior Yesenia Lopez, juniors Rachel Butler and Blatchley Harkenrider, sophomore Brittni King and freshman Daniela Trimble.

King finished 26th in the girls varsity conference race while Joya placed fourth and Palomino was seventh in the girls JV conference finals.

“All will play an important role this season,” Osuna said.

The new BV coach said the goals for the upcoming season remain the same for the program, regardless of who may be in charge.

“We have set our sights on repeating another championship season and have dedicated ourselves to achieving that goal,” she said. “Both the men and women's team have positive outlooks for this season, are and have been working hard, and are highly motivated to be contenders both in league and at CIF. Along with those goals, we have also made a conscious effort of strengthening our sense of team unity and identity which will help bring us closer to those goals.”

The Barons open their schedule with three major invitational appearances: Sept. 10 at the Mustang Invitational at Rohr Park, Sept. 18 at the Mt. Carmel Invitational at Morley Field and Sept. 24 at the South Bay Invitational, also at Rohr Park. Bonita Vista will also compete at the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College Invitational in late October in Walnut.

The 2004 cross country season steps off Sept. 3 with the Wolf Pack Invitational at West Hills, followed by the Vaquero Stampede Sept. 4.

For more information on the upcoming season’s schedule, visit the Web site at crowncity.com/sdtrackmag.