Ready for a Cross-Country Trek : Castruita Leads Mt. San Antonio Women in Quest for State Championship

Suzanne Castruita saw the photograph and took off running.

She was only 8 years old the day her mother showed her a newspaper story that featured the members of a youth running club. And almost immediately after she glimpsed the accompanying photo, Castruita hung up her ballet tights and sprinted toward the track.

“The only reason I started running was because I wanted to be in the newspaper like the people in the picture,” Castruita said. “That was the reason. No other.”

Eleven years and several news clippings later, Castruita is making a run at a state cross-country championship. The 5-1 sophomore from West Covina is the top qualifier for Mt. San Antonio College, which last week won the Southern California Regional at San Diego.

Castruita, who finished third overall at the regional, will attempt to lead the undefeated Mounties to their third state championship in four years when they compete in the state meet Saturday at Sierra College in Rocklin.

The Mountie team also includes sophomore Alison Ramirez and freshmen Monique Smith, Frankie Rivera, Amanda McCrae, Lisa Harsen and Julie Vargas.

“We’ve had some good teams here and this one is among the best,” Mt. SAC Coach John Norton said. “Suzanne is a big part of that. She is very prepared and has a good work ethic. She’s mentally tough and focused and she keeps pushing.

“That’s important because when you’re out there racing, you have to stay focused for three miles and react to the race and react to the surprises.”

Castruita’s greatest value to the Mounties is, of course, her speed. At the regional meet in San Diego, she covered the 5,000-meter course at Balboa Park in 18 minutes 29.2 seconds.

But Castruita’s experience and leadership have also been instrumental in shaping this season’s success.

“I told myself I wanted to go to the other side of the world so I wouldn’t have to race against her,” said Smith, who competed for Diamond Bar High when Castruita was at West Covina. “Now I’m glad we go to the same school because she’s really good, and it gives me something to shoot for.”

Castruita had no particular goals when she began training with the Southern California Roadrunners’ club as an 8-year-old.

“It was just so easy,” she said. “I could stay up with the older girls and never got tired.”

By the time she arrived at West Covina High, Castruita was race-toughened by her participation in numerous meets and competitions in California and other states.

High school life, however, forced her commitment to running into the background. She participated as a freshman and sophomore, but did so almost reluctantly.

“I didn’t really want to run,” she said.

Castruita, realizing her talent was being wasted, regained her enthusiasm during her junior year. She concentrated on her training and finished third in the Southern Section 3-A Division in 1988 and 1989.

When she arrived at Mt. SAC, she joined a two-time defending state-championship team that trained seriously, and differently, than she ever had before.

‘Here (Mt. SAC), the training focuses on quality instead of quantity,” Castruita said. “They believe if you do a more serious workout, you can run shorter distances. That was an adjustment for me because I like to do distance work.”

Last season, Castruita won the Southern California regional championship and finished ninth at the state meet as the Mounties placed second behind El Camino.

Norton said Castruita is a better runner this season.

“She’s more mature and consistent,” Norton said. “She’s also been very, very durable, which is especially important at this time of year when you can’t afford breakdowns.”

At the state meet, Castruita and the rest of the field will be trying to catch Antelope Valley’s Jean Harvey, who won the Southern California regional in 17:48. It was her fifth victory in six races this season.

“We pretty much let her run her own race and try not to let her get too far ahead,” Castruita said. “She takes off the first mile then slows down the second part of the race, but she hangs on.”

Castruita is hoping that she and her teammates can stay close enough to the front to bring Mt. SAC another team championship.

Next year, Castruita pictures herself running for a university in another state.

“If I can go somewhere and experience something, I might as well do it,” she said. “I think it would be an adventure.”