GIRLS

CHRISTINE PEREZ > 2007 Induction
AHS 1998-2002

CHRISTINE PEREZ became one of hte most successfull runners at Antioch High School in her 4 shorts years. She later found success at San Francisco State - running there for several years.

 

JENNIFER SELLS > 2006 Induction
AHS 1986-1989

JENNIFER SELLS was no doubt the first girl to get the most praise - being the first girl from Antioch High to qualify for the first ever crosss country state meets in 1987 and 1988.

 

SHANE FELIX > 2005 Induction
AHS 1975-1978

SHANE FELIX was best known for her tenacity to keep up with most of the boys. Since girls sports just got started for high school girls in 1973, cross country for girls was in it's infancy at the time when SHane came around. Her schoo record in the mile held for 23 years.

 

JANIE NOLAN > 2004 Induction
AHS 1998-2002

JANIE NOLAN became the most successful runner ever in Antioch’s XC history! JANIE emerged on the scene in 1998 and became a nationally recognized runner! Running the fastest time ever at Fresno for any Panther Strider girl during her sophomore year and placing an amazing SECOND place overall for D-II. No other Panther Strider has finished this high at the state meet. Only 1990’s Brian White placed in the top ten, finishing 6th with a 15:44. JANIE’s 5000m time converts to a 17:21 three-mile, which is also the Antioch High School record for 3 miles on any X-Country course. JANIE is also now the third Antioch girl to finish in the top five at NCS, Felix ~ 1978, and Sells ~ 1986 (Teammate Christine Perez became the 4th girl about a minute later in this same race to finish in the top five, placing 4th in ’99, ’00 & 5th in ’01). Also in this year as a Super-Soph, JANIE became only the third girl at this time to be crowned league champion for Antioch High School X-Country, Felix ~1978 & Sells ~1988 (Perez ~ 2001).

Her time of 17:56 placed 6th amongst all 1999 girl participants in the entire state of California. This time run by NOLAN also ranks in the top one-third girl runs ever run on this course. The all time list for Woodward Park shows the list going down to about 18:20, 35 girl times being on this list. There has only been a handful of girls that have broken that magical 18:00 barrier. This time also ranks 6th on the all time list of runs ran at the state meet course in Fresno by NCS girls since 1987. Janie is in pretty good company here behind; #1 1996 Julia Stamps ~16:43 Santa Rosa HS, 1996 Kristen Gordon ~17:17 Carondelet HS, 1998 Sara Bei ~17:22 (17:12 ~ 2000) Montgomery HS, 1989 Becky Spies ~17:33 Livermore HS, and 1997 Trina Cox ~17:46 Santa Rosa HS. Four of these five girls ran those times in the last five years, in addition to being all top ten finishers at nationals in those years. These six girls are also the only six girls to have ever broken 18:00 from all NCS girl participants, and for 1999, the only two sub-18:00 NCS performers were in the same race - NOLAN and Bei. Spies is currently training for her second USA Olympic Trials appearance and currently runs sub-16:00 for 5000m. JANIE’s pace of 5:47 per mile was only ten seconds slower per mile than 1999 Footlocker National Champion favorite Bei. Third place in the D-II Girls race went to JR ~ Robyn Stevens (18:12, 5:52/mile) of Vacaville. This time by NOLAN is also the second fastest BVAL time ever at the state meet, second to Gordon. It was the fastest for BVAL girls for 1999 as well. Even when AHS was in the DVAL, no girl ran this sort of time for three miles. Girls did not start running three miles for X-Country until the early 1980’s, so one can see how and why girls Cross Country has progressed so greatly in recent years, girl three milers haven’t been around long

As a Junior in 2000, JANIE came over a huge obstacle in life, with regards to her health. The sixteen year old came down with Mono towards the tale end of her track season and it followed her all summer & into >>CC?, but JANIE was determined to have a decent season in X-Country and return to CIF State Meet. She did just that with good company supporting her efforts. She returned with her entire team, who qualified this year by taking 3rd at NCS, an At-Large-Berth was granted for the first time and Antioch was under the standard time of 1:09. NOLAN’s 5k time of 18:35 was remarkable for training under recovery conditions due to her year with Mono. She placed 15th in the fastest fielded division and placed as the third fastest Junior in the race and the second NCS runner behind Senior Susan Chan of Monte Vista, the 2000 NCS D-I Champ. JANIE also was second for the 2nd straight year at NCS behind Chan. JANIE was also crowned league champion for the BVAL IV in 2000, marking the first time that an Antioch runner has ever won the league title more than once. In her senior year in 2001, NOLAN decided not to come out for the AHS XC Team for personal reasons until October 4th of that year during the BVAL Center Meet at Newhall Park. Unfortunately, it proved to be too late in the season for her to qualify for the state meet an unprecedented fourth time in a matter of 5-6 weeks of training. She did set her sights on the state, but with this short amount of time & even with her great talents, it didn’t allow her to accomplish this goal. However she did shave off a phenomenal 5+ minutes in that time by NCS, running 20:10 for 5k.

As a freshman, JANIE was the third freshman to cross the line for the D-I State Meet. This time was still the 4th fastest time from NCS D-I competitors. NOLAN also ran the second fastest BVAL time of the day, 2nd to SR ~ Stephanie Ksezulak’s 18:12 (5th fastest state time for 1998), and 2-time BVAL Champion. Ksenzulak ran her first time at Woodward in 1997, with a 19:11. In track, JANIE became the 3rd fastest FR. in the nation with a 10:51.75 3200m timing, in route to breaking the previous school record of 11:12 held by Felix in 1979. She also broke the school record in the 1600m, a 5:11 set in 1978 by Felix, smashing it by running a 5:07.70, becoming NCS~Tri-Valley Champ in both events. She was only the second AHS Distance Runner to make the state finals in track (3200m), Shane Felix did in 1978.

BOYS

CHRIS HERNANDEZ > 2005 Induction
AHS 1995-1999

CHRIS HERNANDEZ is the one of the fastest Panther herriers to ever don the black & gold for Antioch cross country. He became the first three-time state meet qualifier for Antioch.

 

BRIAN WHITE > 2004 Induction
AHS 1988-1991

BRIAN WHITE is the fastest Antioch Boy at the state meet in AHS Panther cross history! His 1990 state meet time is the third fastest time ever by a Division I North Coast Section (NCS) participant and still to this day (as of 2005), is AHS’ fastest harrier yet at state! Jeremy Seven from De La Salle is first at 15:11 in 1989 (1988, 15:31 - 12th) for a 3rd place overall finish in the California State Meet CCC (1st place all-time ranking for NCS), & Jeff Aschbrenner from California is second at 15:43 in 1989 for a 13th place overall finish. WHITE’S 6th place finish also represented only the second time a NCS participant had broken into the TOP SEVEN Division I State Meet ranks (15th all-time ranking for NCS as of 1996) & as of 1990, this place was only the seventh time an NCS participant had cracked the TOP TWENTY for D-I, Seven ‘88,’89, Rob Scott from San Ramon (19th) in ‘88 (17th place all-time ranking), Aschbrenner ‘89, WHITE ‘90, Guerrini from Santa Rosa (17th) ‘90, & Rivers from Moreau (16th) ‘87.

By qualifying for CIF, BRIAN became Antioch’s first two-time boy qualifier to go to the state finals. Sells was the school’s first overall athlete to accomplish this feat. Since the state meet’s inception in 1987, BRIAN is Antioch’s fastest boy ever to run with the black and gold on his back. MR. WHITE later joined the squad again in 2000 by becoming an assistant coach for the Panthers under Head Coach Mike Amorosa. Amorosa and White were first teammates in 1987, and once again in 1990 at DVC, Coached by Kevin Searls.

In the Spring of 1991, WHITE’s final track season at ANTIOCH, BRIAN broke a 25 year old 2 mile school record by 2 seconds with a time of 9:25 while at the 3200m CIF State Finals in Southern California. He also ran 4:27 for the 1600m, still in the top 10 list for AHS Milers. BRIAN WHITE then went on to compete for Diablo Valley Junior College and led the Vikings in the distance events in Track & was one of DVC’s top performers in Cross Country. WHITE did not stop his record-breaking habits at Antioch. He broke the 10,000 meter Track record, running a 31:55 for the 25 lap race, that is an astonishing 5:09 pace per mile for six straight miles. WHITE also holds the #5 spot on the DVC board in the 5000m with a 15:11 timing. BRIAN will forever be in the annals as one of the fastest Panthers ever!