Freshman Carpenter tops All-Area picks

When this past fall�s prep cross country season began, both River Valley High senior T.J. Wy and Wheatland freshman Jessica Carpenter were somewhat unknowns. Wy was a little familiar, having run track last spring, but otherwise the two entered the cross country season under the radar. They quickly gained notoriety, however, and ran their way to berths in the state cross country championships. For their exploits, Wy and Carpenter have been named the Appeal-Democrat�s male and female cross country athletes of the year respectively. Wheatland�s coach, Denise Wright, felt she had a gem in Carpenter. �I knew there was a good possibility that she would go far,� Wright said. If there were any doubts about how special Carpenter was, they were dismissed after the Pirates� first Butte View League meet. �She ran in the JV race,� Wright said, �and afterward she said she wanted to run in the varsity race.� Carpenter ended up running 2.6 miles in the junior varsity race and 3.1 miles in the varsity contest. �She won both,� Wright said. �Afterward, she said she wasn�t even tired.� After that showing, Carpenter strictly ran varsity. �I just like to run,� Carpenter said, noting a friend suggested she get involved in the sport because of her long legs. The highlight of the season for Carpenter was qualifying for the state meet, she said. In Fresno, Carpenter finished 17th in Div. IV, clocking 19:24. �That was my goal, to go to state,� Carpenter said. While she was excited with her performances this season, including winning the BVL championship and finishing seventh in the Northern Section, Carpenter admitted she was a little disappointed about one aspect of the 2007 campaign. �We had only three girls come out this season,� Carpenter said. �I was the only one who ran varsity. If we had a full team I think we would have had a really good team.� While Wy has ended his high school careeer and would like to continue his cross country career in college, Carpenter still has three more years left in high school. �I think by her senior season she��ll be in the top five in the state,� Wright said. Other girls named to the Appeal-Democrat�s all-area cross country team are: Carli Marengo, Fr., Colusa � She finished fourth in the BVL championships (20:25, 3.1 miles) and 32nd in the Northern Section championships. She ended up 47th at the state meet in Div. V (20:44). Sarah Feddersen, Jr., Marysville � She finished second and third in the first two Golden Empire League meets and ninth in the third, running with bronchitis. Olivia Jacques, Soph., Yuba City � She finished eighth at the TCC championships (23:35). Meredith Salazar, Jr., River Valley � She placed seventh in the TCC meet (21:42). Rachel Yanik, Soph., Lindhurst � She was all-league in the GEL.