Crafton Hills College Cross-Country Team Celebrates Inaugural Season, Sets Sights for Year Two and Beyond

Publish Date: Dec. 22, 2022

Student athletes attending or planning to attend Crafton Hills College have a new option to choose from: cross-country running.

The team recently celebrated the success of its inaugural season, but for coaches Joshua Estrada and Gabriella Jimenez, the fun is just getting started.

“Team sports are essential to the college experience in the same way that building relationships is essential to the human experience,” Jimenez explained. “These athletes learn so much about themselves and about life through the experience of running as a team.
“Among those experiences include working together as a group, building mental toughness, celebrating together and picking up other teammates after failures to motivate each other to do their best,” she continued.

Another necessary contributing factor – helping to lessen the stress that can come with college life and create an overall positive experience for all who join, added Estrada.

“It’s important in creating what would be called a ‘master y atmosphere’ because this empowers and encourages the individual,” he said.“This leads to a team-wide attribute, builds confidence, relatability, support and a healthy ‘family’ orientation while naturally becoming better at the sport due to the enjoyment.”

Cross-country running was among programs CHC faculty and administration considered initiating before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, plans shifted when the Yucaipa-based college had to restrict in-person classes and switched to online learning due to the pandemic. But now that students have re-entered the classroom and athletes are able to return to normal sports activities, the opportunity to participate in cross-country has resumed, along with water polo and swimming.

Cross-country’s inaugural season took place during the fall semester with seven men and four women participating. In addition to a jam-packed practice schedule that can last up to two hours a day, runners took part in seven competitions in San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands and Bakersfield.

Both coaches said the team’s inaugural season exceeded expectations, which “were to set the foundations of a solid sports program [with] effective, rigorous practices that led to a competitive season,” Jimenez said. “The group we had worked very well together and really set the tone for future groups as to what we expect of them as collegiate athletes.”

Added Estrada,“Needless to say, the group has been a perfect team for the first year. Each individual meshed well and performed exceptionally well.We managed to [place] third for the men’s team, qualify for SoCal Regionals, as well as [see] one female [runner] move forward, and [watch] our lead males close in on an opportunity to go to state.”

Both coaches are looking forward to year two and building on the team’s recent success. Best of all, cross-country athletes of all levels are encouraged to join and can do so by contacting Estrada by email at jestrada@craftonhills.edu. Plus, all who join will be coached by two athletes who understand the importance of hard work both in and outside of the classroom and who want to develop strong, well-rounded athletes of today and tomorrow.

“We look forward to seeing more student athletes join and become excited that there is a local cross-country program at the collegiate level as well as welcoming all athletic abilities,” said Estrada.

“Our hope for the program is that it grows in the number of athletes and in our competitiveness amongst local schools and beyond,” added Jimenez. “Coach Estrada and I are both very attentive coaches, and we want nothing more than for you students to succeed. Give the team a chance and you’ll see the motivating, positive environment that is cross-country.”