The Beavers qualified for the State Meet by virtue of their fourth-place finish at Crystal Springs.  ARC was led by team captain Krystal Buck, who finished 14th overall in an impressive 19:49 over the 3-mile course.  Lindsay Barlow was 19th with a time of 20:08, followed by Kelley Rooney (24th in 20:28), Tina Kukharets (29th in 20:47) and Katie Hartman (33rd in 21:14).  ARC, which finished behind a tight grouping in the first three slots—Diablo Valley, Hartnell, and Santa Rosa—will travel to Fresno for the state finals in two weeks.

The Beavers held off Santa Rosa and Diablo Valley to win the conference title on the 5K course at Diablo Valley.  Kelley Rooney, Krystal Buck, and Tina Kukhavets all finished in the top ten to lead ARC to the top of the Big 7.  Rooney (4th place in a time of 20:17), a sophomore, turned in the team’s fastest time, but freshmen Buck (6th, 20:24) and Kukhavets (10th, 20:58) served notice that the Beavers are gearing up for years to come.  Sophomores Katie Hartman (11th, 21:06) and Lindsey Barlow (12th, 21:19) also turned in solid performances, giving ARC depth going into the NorCal Meet this weekend.  Freshmen Jessica Harris (23rd, 24:20) and Jackie Gomez (26th, 28:57) also earned points for the team.

The Beavers traveled south and placed seventh in a strong field of squads.  ARC was the top team from the north part of the state, finishing well ahead of eighth-place Diablo Valley.  Kelley Rooney led the Beavers with a 20:15 time on the 5K course, fast enough for 24th place in the competitive field. Her time led a block of five ARC runners who ran within about a minute of each other:  Krystal Buck was 27th with a time of 20:22, Katie Hartman finished 34th in 20:42, and Tina Kukharets was 48th with a 21:09 mark.

october 7, 2006

The Beavers came in fifth—with only two points separating third through fifth place—on the strength of a personal-best time by Tina Kukharets.  Kukharets turned in the top time on the team for the third time this fall, running a 20:43 over the challenging 5K course in Belmont, good enough for sixth place overall.  Kelley Rooney was not far off Kukharets’s time at 20:50, but she finished 13th overall.  Krystal Buck was 20th with a time of 21:27, Katie Hartman’s 21:55 placed her 26th.  Jessica Harris ran a 24:48 (46th place) and Jackie Gomez finished in 25:36 (49th) to round out the roster.

september 28, 2006

Lou Vasquez Invitational 

The Beavers finished a close second to Diablo Valley in the 21-school meet at Golden Gate Park.  Kelley Rooney led ARC again with her third-place finish, covering the 5K course in 19:37.  Krystal Buck was 11th in 20:17 and Tina Kukharets was 22nd in 20:50.  Katie Hartman ran a 21:10 to finish 27th, and Christa Magness came in 37th with a 21:54 effort.  The Beavers’ most improved runner was Jessica Harris, who sliced 1:30 off her previous best mark to finish in 22:37.

september 23, 2006

Fresno City Invitational  

Twenty-six cross country programs competed at Woodward Park in Fresno, and the Beavers were the top Northern California team with their 8th-place finish on the 5K course.  Kelley Rooney led ARC with a time of 20:10, fast enough for 15th in the competitive field of over 120 runners.  Katie Hartman was the second ARC runner to cross, finishing in 20:33 and 29th place. The other three Beavers runners to score were Krystal Buck (a time of 20:50 and 36th place), Jessica Harris (24:12, 84th place), and Jackie Gomez (24:44, 91st). “These ladies did a spectacular job,” said Coach Jeanette Powless. “Even with a few ladies missing, they pulled together and raced extremely well.”

september 15, 2006

Shasta Invitational  

With a strong team effort and tight grouping of their top runners, the Beavers topped Butte to earn the win on the 3-mile course in Cottonwood, CA.  Freshman Tina Kukharets solidified her leadership position by finishing third overall with a time of 20:48.  She was immediately followed by Kelley Rooney at 20:57 and Katie Hartman at 21:05.  Lindsay Barlow came in seventh with a time 21:54, with Krystal Buck in 9th (22:15) and Christa Magness 11th (23:05).  “The ladies are really slicing their times,” said Coach Jeanette Powless.  “We’re getting more competitive each week.  I am proud of their hard work, as shown by the respectable gap of just 1:27 between first and fifth place.”

september 9, 2006

4th Annual Beaver Invitational   

The Beavers captured their first victory of the season by winning the 11-team invitational at Folsom Lake.  Sophomore Kelley Rooney led ARC by placing second overall, completing the 5K course in 20:24.  Tina Kukharets finished sixth with a time of 21:09, followed by Krystal Buck in seventh at 21:14.  Katie Hartman was ninth overall with a time of 21:21.  The fifth ARC finisher was Christa Magness, who placed 15th with a 22:27 mark.  Jessica Harris and Jacqueline Gomez rounded out the top seven of the winning squad.

september 1, 2006

Viking Invitational                      

Tina Kukharets led the Beavers in her first-ever cross country race, finishing fourth with a time of 21:39 and pacing ARC to a second place finish in the meet at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.  Lindsay Barlow finished fifth at 22:07, followed right behind by Katie Hartman’s 22:17.  Krystal Buck was 10th with a 23:00 run, and Crista Magness finished 12th at 23:53 to round out ARC’s top five finishers.  “With just one week of practice under our belts, we have a lot to look forward to as this season progresses,” said Coach Jeanette Powless.   “We’re still adding more ladies and plan to beef up our training at high altitude running camp the Labor Day weekend.”