SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Last cross county season St. Michael’s head coach Lenny Gurule hoped to have freshman Logan Hunt on his roster, but although she did get in some races, she settled for a season with the soccer team.
Now he’s more hopeful of reeling in her younger sister, 8th grader Riley Hunt, except this time he’s certain to have her in his lineup and not on the soccer field. She will be needed as Gurule, in his 17th year as head coach, comes off a season where he had a slim number of girls, and only senior London Luttrell qualified for the state 3A championship, which is unusual when the Lady Horsemen have been threats throughout the years under Gurule.
Now he’s hoping to race Hunt with returning seniors Mia Romero and Paris Dixon, and sophomore Taryn Aguilar, and round this off with others who come out for the team. If no others report, St. Michael’s will again be short on numbers, and with the possibility of again coming up short at the state championships.
It’s a different situation with his boys. The only loss was senior Justin Sanchez, the team’s best runner, and Gurule hopefully gets back 10 expected returnees, with junior Rowan Flores coming off an up-and-coming season. He will again be assisted by Cisco Rivera.
Senior Dennis Ortiz should be right behind Flores, followed by juniors Ryan Kuhn and Derrick Martinez, senior Gabe McMahon, sophomores Joaquin McKenna, Rayes Baros, Irving Loya and Johnny Abeyta, and the younger Sanchez, Josh, back as a sophomore.
Monday, June 15, is the allowed start of the virus restricted preseason preparations. But instead of going along with the social distancing of 6 feet and only five pod runners allowed, Gurule is sticking with his summer training schedule.
“That’s the best idea,” he says. “We will let them be on their own, we will check temperatures, and we will at least see who is coming out without counting numbers.”
Gurule has won four state championships with the girls in consecutive years of 2005-06-07-08, and has had a four-time individual champion in Kate Norskog (2006-08-09-10), and three times by Irena Ossola in 2003-04-05. The boys have never had an individual champion, but won state team titles in 2006 and 2008.
