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Members of the 2014 Miners Cross Country team are, from left: front, Marco Salas, Diana Medina; second, Eneida Quintero, Patrick Lopez, Ashidet Ochoa, Jessica Lopez, Tylo Montes, Carlos Salas, Ysenia Arcienga, Rebeka Messing; third, Andrea Castaneda, Juan Ortega, Michael Sanchez, James Duarte; back, Andres Rodriguez and Jared Gonzales. Not pictured is Colton Stratton.
Maria Lopez | Submitted
San Manuel Miner
Cross Country head coach Maria Lopez is entering her third season leading the Miners’ program with what could be her most experienced team so far. Twelve runners return from last year’s team.
“This year’s team is senior top heavy,” Lopez told The Miner. “Most of our runners have running experience and hope to run well during competition.”
Three freshmen debut on the this year’s team and will be expected to get up to speed, no pun intended, with the other varsity runners.
Top returning runners include senior James Duarte and juniors Patrick Lopez and Andrea Castaneda. Freshman Ashidet Ochoa and senior Andres Rodriguez are expected to be among the top newcomers on the team.
The 2014 Miners Cross Country roster includes: James Duarte, Jared Gonzales (Captain), Andres Rodriguez, Marco Salas, Colton Stratton (Captain), Patrick Lopez (Captain), Juan Ortega, Carlos Salas, Michael Sanchez, Tylo Montes, Jessica Lopez, Diana Medina, Andrea Castaneda (Captain), Eneida Quintero, Ysenia Arcienega, Rebekah Messing, and Ashidet Ochoa.
The schedule is as follows:
9/3 @ Benson
9/5 @ Globe Invitational
9/10 San Manuel Invitational
9/12 @ Desert Solstice Marana
9/20 @ Old Pueblo Classic Tucson
10/1 @ Wilcox Invitational
10/8 @ Safford Invitational
10/11 @ Rattler Invitational Marana
10/15 San Manuel Multi XC
11/1 @ Sectionals Marana
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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