Suppe solid in cross country debut

Lauren Suppe finished eighth in the girls Division 2 freshman race at the Laguna Hills Cross Country Invitational meet Sept. 8.

Suppe's debut as a Fallbrook High School cross-country runner resulted in a time of 20:57 on the 3.0-mile course.

"That's a great start," said Fallbrook head coach Troy Hamlin.

Suppe is not truly a newcomer to Fallbrook High School's cross-country program. Her brother, Tristan, is currently a Fallbrook High School junior and ran cross-country in 2017.

Another member of the Suppe family has also joined the Warriors' cross-country program; Cat Suppe is a part-time assistant coach. The mother of Lauren and Tristan, Suppe teaches in Murrieta and cannot participate in all of the Warriors' practices and meets but assists Hamlin and assistant coach Vicki Knox when possible.

Knox is also new to the high school program. Hamlin was the girls' head coach from 2003 to 2016 and was an assistant for both the boys and girls teams last year when Lisa Hasvold and her younger son, Bret, coached the girls team. This year Hasvold is enjoying her new grandchild and is not instructing the Fallbrook harriers.

In 2005 Hamlin had 54 runners on the girls cross-country team. This year he began the season with 10. "That's very small," said Hamlin. "I've never had this few."

Two runners, Supper and Maddy Gaul, are freshmen. "They're both of quality," said Hamlin.

Suppe showed how competitive she is with her performance at the Laguna Hills meet. Gaul, whose cross-country experience began with pre-season practice last month, showed her quality by placing 65th with a time of 27:06.

"She's come a long way in a month," said Hamlin of Gual. "They both did a great job."

The team has three sophomores. One of those, Chechi Cabello, was the only other Fallbrook girl to receive a medal for finishing among the top 40 in her race. A time of 22:52 gave Cabello 31st place.

"She's a very talented young lady," said Hamlin of Cabello.

The sophomore race included a 47th-place finish by Zuszeth Montiel, whose time was 24:06. Last year Montiel completed the freshman race in 30:12.

Fallbrook's other sophomore is Devan Budd, who transferred from Mission Hills High School and was on the Grizzlies' varsity in 2017. A shin injury prevented Budd from finishing the Laguna Hills competition before the course had to be cleared for the next race.

Two juniors run for Fallbrook. Regina Jesus, who is new to the Warriors' running program, finished 51st with a time of 25:15. Third-year runner Maya Rink completed the course in 26:02 for 61st place.

The team has three seniors, although two of them were unable to attend the Laguna Hills meet. Katie Hutzler was unable to participate in some of Fallbrook's practices due to a shin injury but chose to run Sept. 8. She posted a time of 27:06 for 73rd place.

"It's been a good start overall," said Hamlin.