Runner

When Ariel Drachenberg heads to Dodger Stadium early Sunday morning he'll be looking to keep a journey he began as a 23 year old alive. It will mark the 28th year in a row the Glendale resident has participated in the L.A. Marathon, which makes him an L.A. Marathon Legacy Runner, meaning he's competed in and completed every marathon since its inception. Just like every year, Drachenberg doesn't have any lofty goals of winning or even placing near the top of the 26.2-mile marathon.

Twelve months of preparation, of regret and of second-guessing boiled down to 13 seconds for La Salle High senior cross-country runner Daniel De La Torre. The Alhambra native trailed Sir Francis Drake's John Lawson, the defending state champion, by that large margin at the two-mile mark of their three-mile race at the CIF State Division IV championships at Fresno's Woodward Park on Nov. 24th in the season's final race. “When I saw how far ahead Lawson was in front of Daniel at the two-mile mark, well, you probably don't want to know what I was thinking,” said Lancers Coach Fred Riley.

TEMECULA - -- This time, there wasn't nearly as much pain. Finishing second in state for the second season in a row didn't sting nearly as bad this year for the members of the Glendale Community College women's golf team. The Vaqueros entered the season with a plethora of goals, including a return to the California Community College Athletic Assn. Women's Golf Championship after falling by one stroke on the final hole at last season's event. This season, the Vaqueros were satisfied with a second-place finish.

PASADENA - Arcadia High showed its dominance at the Pacific League tournament, earning five of eight spots in the semifinals. However, a doubles team and a lone player from Crescenta Valley, along with a doubles duo from Burbank, were attempting to loosen the Apaches' stranglehold in the second day of the tournament Wednesday at Pasadena High. Unfortunately, none of the locals were able to capture league championships, and only the Bulldogs doubles squad was able to advance to the finals, as Arcadia notched wins in both title contests.

WALNUT - A day after Flintridge Prep delivered the area's lone victory at the 65th annual Mt. San Antonio College Cross-Country Invitational, two more locals pushed their way into the winner's circle on Saturday's second and final day. Glendale High's Lena Setian won an individual race and the Crescenta Valley High boys' captured a team title on an afternoon in which both Burbank and Burroughs also celebrated. “This is so unbelievable, I never expected it,” said Setian, who captured the Division I green race in an unofficial time of 18 minutes 05 seconds.

The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene. ZAMUDIO PICKS UP STATE ACCOLADES Glendale Community College cross-country runner Grace Zamudio was selected as the California Community College Sports Information Assn. and California Community College Athletic Assn. Female Athlete of the Month for September. Zamudio, a sophomore, captured individual titles at the Fresno Invitational in 18 minutes 34 seconds on Sept. 8, the Orange Coast Classic (18:38)

ARCADIA - The cross-country runners from the Pacific League had to wait an additional four days to finally contest the second league meet of the season. The event at Arcadia Park was originally scheduled for Thursday, but had to be postponed because of rain, hail and lighting that pelted the area. The runners experienced a complete turnaround in weather conditions in the make-up meet Monday, as the athletes were greeted with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 90s. Despite the extra time off, runners and teams turned in some impressive performances on the fast, flat  course.

Even a pack as tightly grouped as the Crescenta Valley High boys' cross-country team needs a standout to lead the charge. Junior Gabe Collison has emerged as the standard bearer for a surprising Falcons team that has risen from the disappointment of last year's down season and vaulted itself right back into contention for a Pacific League title and a CIF berth. By design, it's been a consummate team effort, but Collison has consistently been the first Falcon across the finish line throughout the team's timely progression this season.

While the members of the Glendale Community College women's golf team would have liked to have won the North-South Invitational, they didn't leave Morro Bay Golf Course empty handed. The Vaqueros finished second in the 15-team event, one stroke behind Western State Conference rival College of the Canyons, but also saw sophomore Pattraporn Silawanna earn medalist honors after winning a one-hole playoff Monday. Silawanna shot a four-over-par 76 on Monday, including recording a birdie on the par-three 10th hole to win the two-day event for the first time.

Going undefeated in the Western State Conference was a goal set by the members of the Glendale Community College women's golf team before the season started. Though the Vaqueros knew it wouldn't be easy to achieve, they figured there might be the potential for at least one pitfall. Unfortunately for Glendale, which won the conference championship last season for the first time in the program's history, it encountered that snag Monday and saw their objective vanish. Glendale received a seven-over-par 78 from Thanawan Sriratchaya and it finished second behind College of the Canyons in a conference match at Stockdale Country Club in Bakersfield.