For the first time in 15 years, both the men’s and women’s cross-country teams at De Anza College have qualified for the state championships.

“I’ve spoken to a few of the other athletic coaches here, and none of them can even remember the last time that this happened,” said cross-country coach Nick Mattis.

The qualifications are yet another highlight in an overall stellar season for both teams this year, and were earned through top-10 finishes at the Northern California championships held November 3.

“It was a great moment for us,” said coach Mattis, referring to the Nor Cal meet. “[The runners] didn’t hold anything back, and I was proud to see them all finish with new personal bests.”

The runners, in turn, are quick to credit each other and their coach with their newfound success.

“Running at De Anza has been very rewarding,” said Angie Sandoval, who finished the 3-mile women’s course at Nor Cal in just under 22 minutes. “I like being on a team with such dedicated hard-workers.”

This year’s women’s team boasts one standout, in particular: Cynthia Chadez, a former SFSU runner who came in 2nd at the Nov. 3 championship. Conversely, the men’s team has pursued a different tack by fielding a more balanced group of strong runners, including Aaron Sommer, Trevor Addison, Bobby Shawhan and Jorge Garcia.

“A lot of Central Coast Section teams have a pack running philosophy, and for the guys it’s worked well,” said Mattis. “They tend to push and feed off each other when they race.”

One factor in the teams’ improvement has been Mattis himself, a transplant from Montana State. “I try to emphasize a lot of changes of pace in my practices, so that the runners can be competitive and chase other runners down rather than just jogging the course,” he said, “But the credit really goes to the runners. I sometimes have to yell at them to stop training, because they want to work so hard.”

While this year has brought success, the outlook for next year may be brighter. All five of the top runners on the men’s team are new, as well as 3 of the top runners on the women’s team.

“We’re a young team, and we’ve got a great new program,” said Shawhan. “We’ll definitely be back next year.