These Days, He Finds Right Way to Finish Line

There were doubts about Ryan Bousquet during his early years running cross-country at Esperanza High. His running style was awkward, his dedication wavered and there was a serious navigation problem.

“He used to be called Wrong Way Bousquet,” Esperanza Coach Rich Medellin said. “He used to get lost on all the courses.”

Finishing second in a league dual meet because he turned left instead of right wasn’t funny two years ago, but his success in being the first to find the finish line lately has made it easier to laugh about.

In the last six months, Bousquet won at the Orange County Championships and has broken six cross-country course records. He also finished sixth in the 1,600 meters at the state track and field finals last June.

His performances during that time, including the third-best qualifying time in Division I at the Southern Section preliminaries last Saturday, have made him one of the favorites in today’s finals at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

“I like my chances,” Bousquet said. “Especially with [Ventura’s Josh] Spiker out. That’s a real tough break, but it takes a lot of pressure off of myself.”

Spiker is the defending state champion in the 3,200 meters and would have been the favorite in Division I had his season not ended last week because of a stress fracture in his leg.

“With Spiker out, that opens up a lot of doors,” Medellin said. “It not only opens up a door for the [section] and state finals, but for a position in the Foot Locker nationals as well.”

In today’s Division I race, which starts at 9:45 a.m., Bousquet plans to stick with the strategy he used at the county championships. In that race, he let Villa Park’s Augie Escobar establish an early 20-yard lead, then reeled him in at about the midway point before pulling away in the last mile.

“The first mile is not where the race is won,” Bousquet said. “The first mile at Mt. SAC is pretty flat. All three hills are in the final two miles. It’s better to be smart and run the first mile easy.”

Bousquet began training for this race last summer. Every morning he drove six miles to Medellin’s house, where they would run for a minimum of one hour. Bousquet averaged 70 miles a week during the summer.

“Most kids can’t do that,” Medellin said. “They think if they go on one long run once a week that’s enough, but Ryan was doing that on a daily basis.”

Bousquet would like to be remembered for being in the same class as Courtney Pugmire, a former Times Orange County runner of the year from Esperanza who finished second in state and went on help Brigham Young win a national championship.

And if Pugmire’s feats are out of reach, at least the boys’ records were not. Bousquet has already broken all of Shaun Frack’s school records in cross-country, as well as his 7-year-old record in the 1,600. Next spring, Medellin would like to see Bousquet go after Frack’s 3,200 record of 9:06.

“He wants to be the best distance runner this school ever had,” Medellin said.

Bousquet has a new nickname this season. Teammates started calling him Shoeless Ryan after he lost a shoe during the 1,600 at the section Division I track and field finals last spring, and again in a dual meet this fall.

“I ran the last mile against Mater Dei with one shoe,” Bousquet said. “Luckily, it was on grass.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Cross-Country

* What: Southern Section finals

* When: Today

* Where: Mt. San Antonio College, 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut

* Schedule: 7:45 a.m.--Division V girls; 8:05--Division I girls; 8:25--Division II girls; 8:45--Division III girls; 9:05--Division IV girls; 9:25--Division V boys; 9:45--Division I boys; 10:05--Division II boys; 10:25--Division III boys; 10:45--Division IV boys

* Admission: $7 general admission, $3 for students with ID and children under 12

* Information: (562) 860-2414