SALINAS VALLEY — Two high school runners from King City and Gonzales represented South Monterey County at the 2022 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
Out of 201 runners in Division IV, King City High senior Israel Limosnero placed 46th with a time of 16:27.3 on the 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Gonzales High sophomore Giovanni Ochoa ran his best ever time to earn 70th place, finishing in a time of 16:41.7.
Ochoa was the first Gonzales cross country runner to qualify for the state meet since 1999, when Takehiro Anzai ran for the Spartans. Anzai, a three-sport athlete at Gonzales, finished in a time of 17:06 in the CIF Division IV finals.
This was the second week in a row that Ochoa was at Woodward Park, as he watched his sister Ashley Ochoa achieve All-American status in the Junior College Cross Country Championships for the Hartnell College Panthers women’s team on Nov. 19.
“What a great experience for Gio to compete at State, where he got to race against athletes from all over,” said Gonzales head coach Margie Daniels. “It truly provided an opportunity for him to be challenged while racing on one of the best courses.”
The CIF Championships on Nov. 26 featured five divisions from 10 sections in the 35th edition of the State cross country finals.
Michael Ramirez contributed to this article.
