Moorpark Repeats State Title With a Run in Park

Most of the names have changed, but Moorpark College rolled to its second consecutive men’s title in the state junior college cross-country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday.

Jesus Villavicencio placed 10th with a time of 20:52 over the four-mile course to spark Moorpark to a 90-119 victory over runner-up Glendale.

Villavicencio was one of only two Moorpark runners who ran on the state title team last year.

L.A. Trade Tech, paced by the 20:10 clocking of individual champion Julio Guevarra, placed third with 156 points. San Diego Mesa, which was expected to battle Moorpark and Glendale for the championship, finished fourth with 167.

Julio Serratos of Glendale placed fourth in 20:19, but the Vaqueros didn’t have the depth to keep pace with Moorpark, which placed six runners among the top 37.

Alejandro Tinajero, who transferred to Moorpark after Mission’s cross-country program was cut last summer because of budget constraints, placed 13th in 21:00 for the Raiders.

Moorpark’s other scoring runners were Danny Oliva in 20th at 21:08, Uzziel Gray in 25th at 21:11 and Rey Coronado in 32nd at 21:27.

“It feels good,” Villavicencio said when asked to compare winning the state title to the Southern California championships two weeks earlier. “I’m a little bit happier and glad that it’s over.”

Glendale finished 11th in the women’s meet with 300 points. Ventura was 13th with 328 and Moorpark was 18th at 430.

Chrsytall DeNaeyer of Moorpark was the top finisher from the region in 52nd place with a time of 20:12 over the 5,000-meter course.