Niednagel Studies Field and Wins

On mornings after running in a cross-country meet, Daniel Niednagel of Dana Hills High School usually follows a ritual.

He steps out of his bedroom and picks up the newspaper his father has put there. He then scans the sports section looking for cross-country results.

“It seems like I do better running when I know how others do,” Niednagel explains. “And the best way to do that is by following the newspapers.”

Dana Hills’ Coach Tim Butler says Niednagel is a “student” of the sport.

“He is always reading papers and remembering how the guys ran before,” Butler said. “It’s not that he just goes into a race--he is usually informed about the race.”

Butler said that not all runners know a lot about the competition.

“I think it has to do a lot with his intellect,” Butler said. “Some guys just go out there and run, while others are more cerebral. I think Daniel has a lot of guts, but he takes a more intellectual interest in his running than others.”

Niednagel, Orange County’s top runner and undefeated this season, said he is at a disadvantage when he lacks information. At the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational Oct. 20, Niednagel finished fourth in the individual sweepstakes race, which featured some of the top runners in the state, behind Arroyo Grande’s Louie Quintana, David Hartman of Canyon Country Canyon and Bob Ryser of Carson High in Nevada. Nine seconds separated Ryser and Niednagel.

“I knew who I was going against, who were the local quality runners, but there was this guy from Nevada I didn’t know,” Niednagel said. “I felt that if I had known who he was, I would have had an advantage and maybe beaten him.”

In his quest for data, Niednagel keeps a meticulous scrapbook on his team and his own accomplishments.

“He religiously cuts out articles, and he has done a beautiful job on the scrapbook,” said his father, Paul Niednagel. “The day he hangs up his spikes, he’ll have a nice record of his running days.”

Paul says Daniel used to be intimidated when he looked at other runners’ times and rankings.

“This year as a senior is the first time he’s taken the information and used it effectively,” Paul said. “In the past . . . he would think things like: ‘I don’t think I can beat that guy because he’s faster.’ ”

Niednagel respects his competition’s ability, but doesn’t let it overwhelm him. He lists Saddleback’s Eddie Salinas and La Habra’s Mark Gonzales as his main competition in the county.

“It seems weird,” Niednagel said. “But now when I race a guy like Eddie Salinas, I know the guy because we talk to each other after meets.

“It just makes you realize we are all the same. We’re just a bunch of guys who go out there and run.”

Niednagel has beaten Salinas twice--once at the Dana Hills Invitational and again, by 17 seconds, at the Orange County Championships Oct. 13.

Niednagel says his success this year has made him eager to win more.

“Somehow, I don’t know if I’d be out there if I wasn’t successful because running is kind of boring in reality,” he said.

A disappointing finish in the Southern Section finals last season has been another motivator. He was expected to advance to the state meet but came in one place short.

“I want to make up for last year,” said Niednagel, who begins the quest in Saturday’s Southern Section preliminaries at Mt. SAC.

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS: BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

Defending Champions: 4-A: Camarillo; 3-A: Hart; 2-A: Agoura; 1-A: St. Anthony.

Top Teams: Division I: Saddleback, Santa Ana Valley, El Toro. Division II: La Habra, El Modena. Division III: Laguna Hills. Division IV: Whittier Christian.

Dark Horse: Division III: Corona del Mar.

Key Runners: Daniel Niednagel, Dana Hills, undefeated among county runners; Eddie Salinas, Saddleback; Mark Gonzales, La Habra; Danny Simon, Villa Park.

Noteworthy: This year’s section meets will be conducted on a new enrollment-based system for each division. Top teams Saddleback and Santa Ana Valley will run in separate Division I heats. El Toro will face third-ranked Arroyo Grande in its heat. La Habra, Katella and Villa Park will run in the same Division II heat.