Hernandez to run at Coker University

Josh Hernandez completed four years on Fallbrook High School's varsity cross-country team in November, and even though the 2020 track and field season was shortened, that was his fourth year on the Warriors' varsity for that sport. He will continue his scholastic running career at Coker University.

"I am pretty happy to be able to run in college," Hernandez said.

Hernandez signed his letter of intent April 23.

"That was a special moment for him," Marco Arias, head cross-country and track and field coach at Fallbrook High, said. "It's just real exciting. I'm just extremely proud of him."

Coker University is in Hartsville, South Carolina. Airline travel to and from Hartsville normally involves the airport in Florence approximately 30 miles from the campus.

"It's pretty far away from home," Hernandez said.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Hernandez did not take a physical visit to the campus but rather utilized FaceTime to view the campus and interact with the Cobras' coaching staff.

Hernandez was also considering California State University San Marcos before making Coker University his choice.

"They offered me a scholarship," he said.

Coker University is in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Hernandez received an athletic scholarship.

"I thank my coaches, Coach Arias and Coach Joel," Hernandez said of his scholarship.

Joel Rivera is Fallbrook's assistant boys' cross-country coach, and he is also Hernandez's cousin. Because the Rivera and Hernandez families live together, Hernandez considers Rivera to be a brother. Rivera ran cross-country and track for Fallbrook High School before graduating in 2011. Enrique Rivera is a 2012 Fallbrook High School graduate who ran cross-country and track for the Warriors and ran at California State San Marcos. Gisselle Rivera ran cross-country and track before she graduated from Fallbrook High School in 2018 and now attends Mira Costa College but does not run for the Spartans. Hernandez's father, Delfino, graduated from Fallbrook High School in 1996 and played soccer for the Warriors.

Arias said that when Hernandez was a freshman, they discussed his future.

"He said he wanted to follow in his cousin's footsteps and run at college," Arias said.

Hernandez will major in physical education at Coker University and plans to use that after he completes his college activities.

"I want to be a PE teacher and also coach kids," he said.

The 2013 Don Dornon Games started the organized running career for Hernandez, who was in fifth grade at Live Oak Elementary School at the time. He increased his commitment to running while at Potter Junior High School.

"In seventh grade I started going to the high school twice a week and running with Coach Arias," Hernandez said.

Fallbrook's only track and field meet this year was a tri-meet March 5. Hernandez won the boys' 3,200-meter race with a time of 10:53.23 to edge out teammate Danny Contreras, and he finished second in the boys' 1,600-meter event to teammate John Regan. Hernandez did not run in the 4x400 meter relay that day, since the 3,200-meter race is run after the 1,600-meter event Hernandez thus closed out his high school career with a win.

"I want to thank John Regan and Danny for always running with me," Hernandez said. "I'm going to miss them."

Regan spent two years with the Warriors; the senior ran for Lejeune High School in North Carolina as a freshman and sophomore. Contreras is a junior and was Hernandez's teammate for three cross-country seasons and three track and field seasons.

A twisted ankle during his final high school cross-country race limited him to 22nd place among the 123 Division II boys in the 2019 CIF San Diego Section championship meet, but Hernandez won his final Valley League cross-country race. On Nov. 16, Hernandez won the Valley League championship, posting a time of 16 minutes 58.7 seconds at the 3.05-mile Kit Carson Park course in Escondido. The second-place finisher, San Pasqual senior Kevin Rohy, had a time of 17:14.5.

"When Josh really came on the scene was when he won the league title," Arias said of Hernandez's collegiate potential.

The North County Conference has replaced league dual meets with league cluster meets in which all-league teams participate. The Valley League had five teams in 2016 and 2017 and six in 2018 and 2019. The second Valley League cluster meet of 2019 was held Nov. 1, at Kit Carson Park. The course was 5,000 meters (3.1 miles), and Hernandez was the first individual finisher with a time of 16:32.

"My whole team was happy," Hernandez said.

Hernandez said he considers winning the 2019 league championship and winning the Valley League cluster meet to be his favorite high school running memories. The spaghetti dinners with his cross-country teammates are Hernandez's favorite school memories.

The top 10 finishers at the league championship meet earn all-league first team honors, and the 2019 meet gave Hernandez not only the individual championship but also first-team Valley League status for the third consecutive year. In the 2018 league meet his time of 16:31.9 on the 3.08-mile Guajome Park course placed sixth. He was seventh in the 2017 league meet with a time of 17:30.9 on Kit Carson Park's 3.05-mile course. Hernandez finished 21st at the league meet as a freshman in 2016.

The highest Hernandez finished at a league track and field meet was fourth, but he did that in two different events. As a sophomore in 2018, he placed fourth in the 800-meter race while also taking sixth place in the 3,200-meter run, and in his junior year Hernandez took fourth among 3,200-meter competitors at the 2019 Valley League meet.

"He hasn't disappointed. He worked extremely hard year in and year out," Arias said.

Peter Early is Coker University's head cross-country and track and field coach, although graduate assistant Jackson Helfrich was the Coker University assistant coach who recruited Hernandez.

"When the coach from Coker University reached out and asked me if we had any potential runners, he was at the top of my list," Arias said.

Arias told Helfrich that Hernandez was interested in running at the college level.

"They talked and they took it from there," Arias said.

Helfrich initially queried Arias by email near the end of the cross-country season. Helfrich followed up with a telephone call in late fall.

Arias had not heard of Coker University until the coach notified him but noted that the South Carolina school gave Hernandez an opportunity to do more than just run cross-country and track.

"I wanted him to experience the outside world," Arias said.

The South Atlantic Conference which includes Coker has schools in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

"I'm super excited for him to be able to run at the next level," Arias said.

Although the 3,200-meter run is the longest event in high school track and field, college meets include 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races. Some high school cross-country races are 5,000 meters, but the normal men's Division II distance is 8,000 meters. Arias said he believes that Hernandez is capable of the longer distances.

"He actually gets better the longer he races," Arias said.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].