Steph MacKenzie hoping to coach Los Altos cross country to state meet
LOS ALTOS, Calif. — The dichotomy of a cross country competition aptly embodies the efforts of the individual and the collective – the runner striving to qualify, yet committed to scoring points for the team.
The Los Altos Eagles cross country team exemplifies this sports ethos.
“They get a lot more out of the team when they’re running for a team rather than just themselves,” cross country head coach Steph MacKenzie said.
A specific season goal of pack running reflects that sentiment. The Eagles deployed the pack strategy to help with the team side of winning.
“When you are running to score for a team and you know you might be that fourth or fifth runner or even if you’re sixth runner, knowing that you’re in it for your team and that every person you pass makes a difference,” MacKenzie said. “They keep an eye on each other, and they sort of cue off each other.”
If a Los Altos runner is having an off day, then someone else has got to step up and score.
“I’m really happy with them for that,” MacKenzie added.
And Los Altos has a solid team. This year’s girls squad is strong, whereas in preceding seasons the boys were highly successful. The guys are in a reconstruction mode. Success and rebuilds are cyclical, MacKenzie noted.
“I have three senior girls on my team right now who were freshmen when our boys were really, really good,” she said. “And they watched them go to the state meet a couple times. And we said, ‘Girls before you graduate, we’re gonna do it. We’re gonna go to state meet.’”
They may have the personnel to do that.
It starts with leadership from the seniors, Riley Capuano, Shelli Lewis and Cameron Cox, and is bolstered by last season’s freshmen class.
“The seniors really took them under their wing and got them excited about running, running year-round and doing track and training in the off-season,” MacKenzie said. “It’s just been their goal to make the state meet.”
But it’s Capuano and junior runner Fiona Bodkin who anchor the team. MacKenzie said the finish order for her top-two charges change from race to race.
“I think they’ve alternated at every race — who comes out on top — and they’re only ever a couple seconds apart,” she said. “It helps to have each other there to push them.”
The number three runner is sophomore Maddy Randall. She’s an 800-meter specialist in track, placing fourth in a highly competitive Central Coast Section final last year (2:15.94).
“We also have another sophomore, Jasleen Sidhu,” MacKenzie said. “She’s been like a top three to five for most of our races.”
Cox, Lewis, new junior student Ella Fadil and freshman Emily Soobrian round out the front seven.
The Eagles hope another junior, Lauren Soobrian, can compete at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) finals. Soobrian, who finished fourth (Division I) at the 2019 state cross country meet, has been battling an injury but could be ready for the league championship competition.
“But we’re not putting a lot of pressure on her this season,” MacKenzie said. “If we can just get her into the scoring side, that would be great.”
MacKenzie grew up in Canada and competed for McGill University in Montreal. She relocated to New Zealand with her husband and kids (her father was an Olympic steeplechaser for New Zealand) and resumed competitive running there. When they came to the Bay Area, she joined the West Valley Track Club.
She has coached in the Los Altos program for six years, two as an assistant and four as the head coach. She also coaches the distance runners for the track team.
MacKenzie was the sixth head coach in six years. Now that she has coached a cycle of student-athletes, she has effected some change in the program’s culture. When she first arrived at Los Altos, there were 60 runners on the team. This year, there are nearly 100. Her largest team as head coach numbered 120 (boys and girls combined).
Another season goal that keeps the girls sharp and competing at a high level is taking down school records. They keep track of team and individual records from four courses: Crystal Springs, Baylands, Woodward Park (state meet course) and Toro Park. The Eagles have broken four already this year, the Baylands course twice.
Los Altos’ primary competitor in the SCVAL this season is Los Gatos High School. The Wildcats defeated the Eagles at the first two league meets, the Eagles were second, but Los Altos rallied to win the third and final one. MacKenzie said the Eagles are closing the gap on the Wildcats. The return of a healthy Soobrian could be a game-changer too. Only two teams from CCS (Central Coast Section Championships) qualify for the state meet.
“At CCS in particular, you mix in all the other schools where those other runners from other schools get in between can make a big difference to the team in scoring,” MacKenzie said.
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