Vaqueros take 17th in State; Apodaca is 43rd

Bradley Apodaca took 43rd in the CCCAA State Championship men's cross country race on Saturday, leading SBCC to a 17th-place finish in the 28-team field at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Apodaca, a sophomore from Santa Barbara High, covered the 4-mile course in 21:30. Adam Grimmitt was 63rd in 21:43. Ethan Walker of Canyons won the individual title in 20:10 in a field of 208 runners.

American River claimed the team title with 67 points for its fourth State crown in the last five years. Mt. SAC was second at 116 and Canyons third at 123.

"We were shooting for a top-15 finish and came up a few spots short," said coach Scott Fickerson. "It was a solid race for us to cap another successful season. This was our fifth-fastest time on the state meet course in school history."

The Vaqueros set a school record by qualifying for the State Championships for the fifth straight year.

"This team continued the legacy of Vaqueros cross country," Fickerson added. "I'm proud of all they accomplished this season."

State Championships
At Woodward Park
Fresno
 Team (28 schools) – 1, American River 67. 2, Mt. SAC 116. 3, Canyons 123. 4, Riverside 139. 17, SBCC 532.
 Individual  (208 runners) – 1, Ethan Walker, Canyons, 20:10. 2, Ulysses Orozco, Saddleback, 20:16.
 SBCC results -- 43, Bradley Apodaca 21:30. 63, Adam Grimmitt 21:43. 128, Gustavo Bello 22:28. 171, Matt Wells 23:16. 175, Alex Ramirez 23:23. 180, Cesar Rodriguez 23:32. 182, Jacob Ogawa 23:37.