Pirate Women Finish Strong at State

VC sophomore Jordyn Vassaur finished 27th in the state championships in Fresno Saturday, leading the Pirate women to a 17th place team finish.
VC sophomore Jordyn Vassaur finished 27th in the state championships in Fresno Saturday, leading the Pirate women to a 17th place team finish.

On a perfect Saturday morning for cross country - clear, sunny, and 50 degrees - the Ventura College women's cross country team took to the Woodward Park 5k course to put o bow on a successful 2015 campaign. The Pirates placed 17th overall out of 27 teams and produced several personal bests. Jordyn Vassaur capped off her sophomore season with a 27th place finish, an improvement over her 89th place finish in 2014.  Her time of 19:20 set a new personal record, surpassing her 20:12 from a year ago.

Kenna Perez (20:28, 81st), Shannon McDermott (20:39, 90th), Amanda Wendt (21:25, 124th), Dhanlay Morales (22:07,151st), and Sofia Gallardo (27:37, 182nd) rounded out the Pirate scorers.

Also running in the black and orange for the last time was sophomore Sam Boyle, who came to Fresno as the Pirates' lone male competitor. Boyle ran well, placing 23rd out of 208 runners and hopes to use the cross country season as a launching point for his final track season in the spring.

"This was a good day for the Pirates, and I am always pleased when the team's level of effort and energy matches the stage they are running on," commented head coach Tony Veney. "These young people have earned a much deserved rest, and then it's back to the salt mines as we prepared for the 2016 track season."