De Anza College’s cross-country teams finished their seasons strong. 

Sophomore Katie Castro won the individual California State Championship with a record time of 17 minutes and 44 seconds for a 2.95-mile course. 

She finished with the 11th fastest time set by a community college woman in history at the Crystal Springs race course during the Nor-Cal Championships on Nov. 3, gaining herself the individual Nor-Cal championship. 

Students Oddessy Tapia, who finished in fourth place, and Dominique Guinnane, who finished 13th, both earned the All-Regional Honors at the Northern California Championships.

This is the second year in a row in which the women’s team has won the Nor-Cal Championships and the men finished seventh place within the same event, making this year the sixth year in row where both teams have qualified for the state meet.

Cross-country head coach Nick Mattis said, “Overall, it’s been one of the best seasons in the school’s history in a while. It was a fun season.”

Mattis said he was also proud of the progress the men’s team made. 

“Guys finished 20th in the state, which is one of the better results for the men’s team in many years,” he said.

“They won the Pat Ryan Invitational. It was a very balanced group of guys; there were no stand-outs … and next year the guys should be stronger.” 

Mattis advised students who would like to be part of the cross-country team to “be dedicated. If you want to be serious about it, start training a year in advance at least, if you want to be competitive.”

Overall, the cross-country team maintained excellent progress throughout the season and its efforts resulted in a huge triumph. Their hard work paid off with the many titles of achievements.  

KEEPING PACE- Katie Castro runs and finishes with a record time of 17 (DEAN LOFGREN | Los Gatos Patch.com)