Captains' Log - Morro Bay Invite

For the first three mile race of the season the top thirteen athletes headed to Morro Bay, California for the Morro Bay invitational at Morro Bay High School next to Morro Rock. A tough course with tight turns and sand along the beach, Morro Bay is not the place to run fast.
The Varsity team rode the Morro Bay waves all the way to fourth place. Shane Gaffikin blew the competition out of the water, leading the race at the start and coming in 11th with a time of 18:24. Jonathan Manara, baiting the sharks with his red sauce, out swam them to 14th place with a time of 18:31. Jack Hannum was transfixed by the sand, but Ryan Daedler turned the tide, rallying his teammate as they worked together to finish 35th and 36th, Ryan with a time of 19:05 and Jack 19:06. Matthew Apahidean, powering through the sand and the sea with his thunder thighs, rounded off the top five with a 60th place finish and a time of 19:44. Luke Stratton and Carlos Perez washed up together with times of 20:09 and 20:16. Although the sand may have gotten the better of them, they’ll come back in force at Woodbridge Invitational on September 15, far from the sands of Morro Bay.
The Varsity Team wasn’t the only team to catch the Morro Bay waves during the Morro Bay Invite. Andrew Velasco surfed his way to 7th place with a time of 19:30 and Jordan Ostby not too far behind caught a massive wave which placed him at 13th place with a time of 19:53. Jack Livingston used his swimming techniques and swam his way into 17th place with a time of 20:10. Miguel Andrade and Manny DeBarros got into a canoe together and ultimately demolished the course scoring 21st and 22nd place with a time of 20:19 and 20:20. Shane Park also took advantage of his boogie board and rode his way into 31st place with a time of 20:46.The JV Team gained the advantage of kicking sand into nearly all of their competition which helped them score 2nd place for the day.