Cuyamaca records best finish

The Cuyamaca College men’s cross country team recorded its best finish in a decade at the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference finals on Oct. 26 at Harry Griffin Park in La Mesa when the Coyotes finished runner-up to team champion San Diego Mesa.

Cuyamaca finished the five-team conference championship meet with 46 points. Mesa, led by men’s individual champion Steven Martinez, won the team title with a low score of 30 points.

The Cuyamaca College men’s cross country team recorded its best finish in a decade at the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference finals on Oct. 26 at Harry Griffin Park in La Mesa when the Coyotes finished runner-up to team champion San Diego Mesa.

Cuyamaca finished the five-team conference championship meet with 46 points. Mesa, led by men’s individual champion Steven Martinez, won the team title with a low score of 30 points.

The Coyotes totaled five all-conference runners among the top 15 finishers on the 4.0-mile course: Lee McAllister (fourth, 22:38), Emmanuel Corvera (fifth, 22:42), Ryan Maize (eighth, 23:00), Aaron Geisel (14th, 23:33) and Jesse Beason (15th, 23:36).

McAllister attended Helix High School while Corvera attended Serra High School, Maize and Geisel attended El Capitan High School and Beason attended Christian High School. All are sophomores except Maize, who is a freshman.

Southwestern finished third in the team standings with 81 points, followed by Palomar in fourth place with 100 points and San Diego City in fifth place with 108 points.
Martinez, a graduate of Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, won the 2012 PCAC men’s title in 21:58 ahead of Mesa teammate Albert Gamez (second, 22:14) and SWC’s Carlos Ponce (third, 22:25).

Gamez is a graduate of Mira Mesa High School; Ponce is a graduate from Sweetwater High School.
Cuyamaca’s women’s team, led by individual champion Paige Hughes, finished third at the PCAC finals.