Hawks’ Ullrich soars to second place at state meet

FRESNO — Liberty Ranch’s Collin Ullrich is one of the California’s fastest high school runners in Division IV.

The senior Hawk proved it at the CIF State Cross-Country Meet at Woodward Park on Saturday. Racing in the D-IV boys’ race, Ullrich took second place among 196 runners with a time of 15 minutes, 39.3 seconds in the 3.1 miles race. JSerra’s Anthony Grover won at 15:31.5.

“It’s a good feeling,” Ullrich said Monday. “It still leaves me with a sense of distaste. The ultimate goal is to be the champion. I didn’t race to my potential.”

At the 2.05-mile mark of the race, Ullrich was third at 10:39.7, behind Grover (10:35.8) and Menlo School’s Robert Miranda, who led at 10:35. Miranda finished the race at third place at 15:53.4.

“Robert went out a little quick, and then me and Anthony,” said Ullrich of the start of the race. “We (Ullrich and Grover) caught up to him. Anthony made a move at two miles, and it was just hard for me to respond. For some reason, I didn’t have it in my legs.”

At the mile mark, Ullrich was in second at 4:52.1, and Grover third at 4:52.4 and Miranda led at that point at 4:45.7. Ullrich found room to run and stayed within a shadow of Grover.

“The race started not too quickly; I got out fairly well,” Ullrich said. “I didn’t establish a good enough position; I was boxed in.”

Ullrich was one of two section runners who placed in the top 10 at the state meet. St. Mary’s Karl Winter took 10th place at 16:07.8.

This Saturday, Ullrich will compete in the 39th annual Foot Locker CrossCountry Championships West Regional at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. The top 10 prep runners from the West will compete at Foot Locker’s Nationals on Saturday, Dec. 9 at San Diego’s Balboa Park.

“Now it’s about how I respond,” Ullrich said.

Prior to Saturday’s race, Ullrich won his second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section D-IV boys title on the Willow Hills’ course at Folsom High.

At last year’s state meet, Ullrich took 14th place at the meet, clocked at 15:59.7.

Ullrich was one of two Lodi area runners competing at the state meet. Lodi’s Peter Vo raced in the D-I boys’ race, taking an 82nd place finish at 16:24.5. His time at the mile mark was 5:04.5 and 11:07.2 at two miles. There were 198 runners competing in this race.

Justin Hazell of El Camino Real-Los Angeles won the race at 15:03.8. The only Sac-Joaquin Section D-I boys runner to place in the top 10 was JesuitCarmichael’s Matt Strangio, who took fourth place at 15:15.5.