Blue Devils Run to Success as Coach Returns
November 13, 2023
Coach Elizabeth Andersen returned from a child care leave of absence to lead the Huntington High School girls’ cross country team to the Section XI state qualifier and a string of personal best performances by runners on the very young team.
Andersen wasted little time after being named the team’s head coach, organizing summer workouts and building up the roster, which included five freshmen, five sophomores and four seniors.
“The cross country season was better than expected,” senior Jannel Marroquin said. “In the beginning we were unsure of how the season would go, but once we got into it we saw that the team had so much potential. Even if we are a small team it meant we all played a crucial part, which led to everyone putting in 110 percent. Coach Andersen saw that this group is special and had the potential to go far. She gave us all the right training that we needed and it brought us to qualify for Section XI state qualifier as a team, which hasn’t happened in so long.”
Sophomore Kiley Barch was the team’s star. The teenager captured All-County honors. She was only a small handful of runners away from qualifying for the state championship race. About 18 seconds in a race of just over 20 minutes.
Barch’s best time 5k race time this fall was the fifth fastest all-time in Blue Devil girls’ cross country history. With two years of eligibility remaining she is viewed as a strong contender for state honors.
Besides Marroquin and Barch, the roster included freshmen Piper Davis, Julia Goodwin, Cassandra Guevara Jandres, Kaylee Mata and Mylah Vizcaino; sophomores Emma Boyle, Rachel Huth, Mabelin Maldonado Licona and Kiera McGuire; and seniors Jessica Kuom, Damaris Mani-Munoz and Andrea Mani-Munoz.
“Besides training hard we had tons of team bonding,” said Marroquin, who captained the team. “Coach A really emphasized the team aspect above anything else and it lead us to become a family. This season has been the absolute best and having Coach Andersen back made the season complete! Even after the seniors leave, there is still so much talent left on the team. The future looks really bright.”
Andersen embraced her role as coach with enthusiasm. “This season our focus has been a lot about rebuilding a strong team culture,” she said. “We have a young team so there is a lot or promise looking ahead. Jannel Marroquin our captain has truly paved the way with her motivational spirit and positive attitude. The team admires her as she sets the ‘never give up’ kind of tone. She’s expressed to me she wants to coach one day and I think she’ll be the best role model. Seniors and sisters Damaris and Andrea Mani-Munoz battled through some hurdles. They were not for many weeks. Even though they were not able to run in races, we’ve been very lucky to have them at most practices and meets sharing and spreading their love and knowledge for running to the team. They’ve served as the team’s ‘hype system’ on the Sunken Meadow course. Their presence is so strong. Our final senior, Jess Kuom has been running for cross country and track and field for so many years now. It’s nice to have a seasoned runner push the underclassmen through some of our grueling workouts. Jess usually ran in the No. 3 spot, which is a very essential place in cross country.”
Barch ran in the No. 1 position and was clearly the team’s best runner, routinely placing near the top at every race. Boyle was No. 2 and talented ninth graders Davis and Goodwin were Nos. 4 and 5. “These spots are so important in cross country.”
“This season was very challenging and Coach Andersen really helped me improve,” McGuire said. “She helped me improve my times by several minutes. She also taught me things not just about running, but that can help me in the future. I’m so happy how this season turned out and I’m excited for next year.”
Kuom juggled an assortment of personal and school commitments and capped off her Huntington cross country career with a season that left her pleased. “I feel like everything went super well and I feel like this is the best year we had in cross country in a few years,” she said.
