Heuchert grabs third at WSC Preview; Vaqueros are fourth

SBCC sophomore Alex Heuchert placed third on Friday in the WSC Preview men's cross country meet at Kenneth Hahn Park in Los Angeles. He was one of three runners to break 20 minutes, covering the 4-mile course in a season-best 19:55.

Heuchert's time was the fastest in the seven-year tenure of coach Scott Fickerson.

Ryan Sorenson was 18th in 20:49 and Martin Montes took 26th in 21:07 as the Vaqueros placed fourth out of 12 teams. Canyons won with 23 points and the Cougars' Rodrigo Ornelas was first in 19:32.

Glendale was second at 72, followed by Cuesta (81) and the Vaqueros (122).

"We were aiming for a top-3 today, but Cuesta had other plans," said Fickerson. "They showed we will have to really bring our 'A game' if we are going to crack them at the WSC Championships.

"Alex stepped up with his best race of the season. He mixed it up with some of the best runners in the state. It's nice to see him progressing well. He's feeling stronger every week and should have some great races ahead of him."

The Vaqueros were missing two of their top seven runners from the Southern Cal Preview.

"That definitely hurt us and we need to work on our depth in order to fill the gaps," Fickerson added. "Gustavo Bello and Martin Montes stepped up nicely today."

WSC Preview
At Kenneth Hahn Park, Los Angeles
 Team (12 schools) – 1, Canyons 23. 2, Glendale 72. 3, Cuesta 81. 4, SBCC 122. 5, Citrus 138. 6, Santa Monica 145. 7, Bakersfield 188. 8, Antelope Valley 257. 9, Moorpark 260. 10, Ventura 262. 11, Oxnard 306. 12, West L.A. 319.
 Individual (4 miles, 133 runners) – 1, Rodrigo Ornelas, Canyons, 19:32.
 SBCC results – 3, Alex Heuchert 19:55. 18, Ryan Sorenson 20:49. 26, Martin Montes 21:07. 39, Adam Grimmitt 21:28. 40, Bradley Apodaca 21:29. 42, Gustavo Bello 21:34. 54, Matt Wells 22:00. 59, Patrick Lownes-Santos 22:07. 68, Sebastian Ramirez 22:25. 101, Lennart Nelson 23:54.