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The Pioneer, Vol. 53 Issue 2

Pierce College's student magazine.

Pierce College's student magazine.

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Sports Commentary

20 YEARS IN THE MAKING

This year marks the beginning of an era as Pierce College

introduces its first ever Women’s Cross Country Team

courtesy photo

/ pierceraiders.com

JAMES SARABIA ZALDIVAR

staff writer

Ready, set, go! #132 Serin Caldwell (left) and #133 Tiffany Compton(right) Line

up at the satring line moments before the first race in the Pierce College’s

Womens Cross Country history.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PIERCE

COLLEGE’S HISTORY, the women’s

cross country team debuted on Aug. 31

after twenty years in the making. Daniel

Richards, head coach of the team, helped

orchestrate the meets and practices,

playing a key role in getting this team off

the ground.

Richards had conversations with

Duncan Stevenson, director of District

Athletics, which focused on strengthening

the college’s athletic program. This

is what led to Pierce adding women’s

cross country to the program, which has

been a goal of Stevenson for the past two

decades.

“Year one we just wanted to form a

team,” said Richards. “Next year, I want

to be able to compete in the NY conference;

it's a prestigious conference when

it comes to distance running and cross

country and I want Pierce to be in the

conversation as early as next year.”

As far as how Pierce should be seen

in the realm of cross country, Richards

20 / piercepioneernews.com

mentions that he hopes to make this a

place to go and run for. “That’s my goal

- competing for and winning conference

championships in the next few years,” he

said.

Currently the team is excelling as

the season progresses, and students are

excited that they have this new opportunity

available to them. Serin Caldwell, a

student on the team, expressed her thrill

for being able to be a part of this. “I’ve

always loved to run and now that Pierce

College has a cross country team I think

it’s a great opportunity for lots of girls to

go in and do their passion.”

Other athletes on the team, such as Tiffany

Compton, have also expressed their

excitement about their experience. “I

enjoy my time very well,” said Compton.

“I’ve done this since high school and took

a two-year break, so it’s really nice getting

back into the individual school schedule.”

When it comes to Richards experience

coaching he says his favorite part is the

comradery. “Meeting these girls with a

passion for running, it’s a diverse group

of girls and it's cool seeing how running

can bring them together. Sometimes you

have a handful of people and you’re like

‘how is this going to form a team?’. It's

cool to see them bond over hard work

and practices day in to day out, that's the

biggest reward.”

Over the season, the team has done a

total of six games, including their most

recent one on Nov. 18 at Saint Martin’s

University. Each member has been

improving and enjoying their time since

the creation of this team, and are looking

forward to continuing to do so.

For those that have an interest in

learning more about the women’s cross

country team, students can check out the

sports athletic page on the Pierce College

website. Students can look forward to the

future of this new team as it becomes a

competitive and sought out school to run

for. It is here to stay.

November. 2019 / Vol. 53, Issue 2

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