Parry qualifies for state meet Warriors sixth at CIF

Fallbrook High School freshman Kristin Parry qualified for the state girls cross-country meet this Saturday in Fresno.

Parry placed 13th among Division I runners at the CIF San Diego Section meet November 17 at San Diego’s Morley Field. The top five runners from each division not on one of the top three teams earn an invitation to the state meet as individuals. The top three teams in each division advance to the state meet as a team.

Fallbrook finished sixth among the Division I teams. “We had an amazing day today,” said Fallbrook coach Troy Hamlin. “They just ran out of their minds, all the way down the line.”

Fallbrook’s girls team started the season ranked 31st among teams in all divisions in the San Diego Section. “They far surpassed my expectations,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin’s goals for the team involved cohesiveness, work ethic, sportsmanship, and other off-the-course objectives. That mentality translated to success in competition. “These girls put in the work that it takes,” Hamlin said. “I give them all the credit.”

Two of Fallbrook’s seven runners at the CIF meet were freshmen, and the other five all cut more than a minute off their course personal records. “We did everything we could. We ran to the best of our ability,” Hamlin said.

The positions of the top five runners from each school are added for the team score. Torrey Pines won the Division I meet with 39 points, La Costa Canyon placed second with 103 points, Rancho Bernardo was third with 114 points, Rancho Buena Vista finished fourth with 123 points, and Vista earned fifth place with 136 points. Fallbrook accumulated 161 points, bettering the 202 points of Escondido, Carlsbad’s 234 points, and Poway’s 247-point performance.

“Clearly we were the sixth best team out there,” Hamlin said. “We just had an exceptional, exceptional day.”

Parry had a time of 17:03 on the 2.75-mile course. “It was an absolutely spectacular performance for Kristin,” Hamlin said. “What she’s done out there has just been amazing.”

Parry completed the first mile in 5:51 and had a time of 12:43 for the first two miles. “Her mental focus, her outlook on this, is so good,” Hamlin said.

First-team all-CIF honors are given to the top ten finishers in each division while the runners finishing 11th through 20th earn second-team all-CIF status. In addition to Parry, Fallbrook junior Noelle Garcia received second-team honors after a 19th-place finish.

Garcia’s time of 17:19 was a personal record by 1:52. “That’s huge,” Hamlin said.

Garcia and Parry ran together early in the race; Garcia had a first-mile time of 5:50 and took 12:57 to reach the conclusion of the second mile. Garcia was the eighth runner not affiliated with a team qualifying for the state meet to cross the finish line.

Senior Leslie Grantham’s 31st-place time of 17:46 was a personal record by 1:18. “She had an amazing, amazing performance,” Hamlin said. “Leslie, the last couple of weeks, has just had tremendous finishes to her race.”

Grantham had a time of 6:10 for the first mile and finished two miles in 13:28.

Senior Briana Lopez also had a 6:10 first-mile time and was at 13:29 after two miles. She finished with a time of 18:08, which was worth 46th place among the 150 Division I runners. “Just a tremendous, tremendous job. She was tough all the way through,” Hamlin said.

Olivia Tidd transferred to Fallbrook from Calvary Christian. In 2006 Tidd competed in the Division V race at the CIF meet and finished second with a time of 19:53 to earn a trip to the state meet as a sophomore. This year Tidd had a time of 18:21 but placed 52nd in the Division I race. “It gives you some idea of the power of the field,” Hamlin said. “It’s a whole different world running in Division I.”

Hamlin focused on Tidd’s 1:32 improvement rather than her lower position in a tougher division. “Not bad at all,” Hamlin said.

During the 2007 season Tidd took the role of a #5 runner. “Olivia did a great job as she has done all season long,” Hamlin said. “I’m very proud of what she’s done. I’m very proud that she’s a Fallbrook Warrior.”

In 2006 the fastest Fallbrook runner was then-senior Amy Hansen, who posted a time of 18:44. None of the returning runners broke 19 minutes at the 2006 meet.

Fallbrook’s sixth runner, Cassie Mulkey, ran despite a cold and finished 83rd with a time of 19:14. “She was just tough,” Hamlin said. “She’s run solid, solid from beginning to end.”

Mulkey’s time was a course personal record by 1:24.

Freshman Nicole Van Duzer finished 89th at 19:19. Hamlin noted that Tidd and Van Duzer both struggled early. “They both found something in that last .75 of a mile and pulled through,” Hamlin said.

“All in all I’m ecstatic about the way the girls ran all season,” Hamlin said. “They came ready to run every week.”