Los Gatos senior Matt Bates races to a win in the Saratoga Invitational in the course record time of 9:38, breaking the old mark of 9:54.8 set in 1999 by Girmay Guangul of Santa Clara.

Photograph by Kathy De La Torre

Gatos runs to win Saratoga title

More records for Bates, Beritzhoff

By Dick Sparrer

Records are made to be broken. But this is getting ridiculous.

Matt Bates and Michelle Beritzhoff of Los Gatos are each off to impressive starts in the 2000 cross country season. How impressive? Well, in back-to-back weeks the Gatos runners have written their names in the record books at neighboring schools.

Bates and Beritzhoff each set new course records on their way to victories at the Firebird Invitational at Fremont in Sunnyvale a couple of weeks back, and last Thursday the two were record-setters once again at the Saratoga Invitational.

Bates snapped the old course mark of 9:54.8 set in 1999 by Girmay Guangul of Santa Clara by covering the 2.0-mile Saratoga course in 9:52. A week earlier, he had set a new mark of 9:38 on the 2.05-mile course at Fremont.

Beritzhoff ran 11:56.4 to tie the Saratoga course record set in 1998 by Saratoga great Anne Ricketts. Beritzhoff had broken Ricketts' Firebird record of 12:14 a week earlier by running 11:29.

"She tied the course record, and she went off the course by at least eight seconds," said Los Gatos coach Willie Harmatz of the talented junior runner. "She is running fantastic."

Beritzhoff was the easy winner in the race with teammates Lynsey Harris fourth in 12:56.7, Jen Rutnitz fifth in 13:00.9 and freshman Kristy Yackle eighth in 13:36.2.

But since Los Gatos did not field a complete team, the Wildcats did not place in the team standings. Milpitas won the team title with Saratoga second and Lynbrook a close third.

"This was a workout meet and we had a lot of soreness to deal with," said Harmatz. "It was best not to compete, because I want everyone healed up for Tuesday's meet. We go up against two strong teams in the league invitational."

The Wildcats will run in the Central Park Invitational in Santa Clara on Sept. 26, 3 p.m. Powerful St. Francis will rival Gatos in the rugged meet in Santa Clara.

The Los Gatos boys will also compete at the Central Park run after easily winning the boys varsity title at Saratoga.

Bates finished first with Tomas Viramontes second in 9:56, Jeff Hoeft sixth in 10:25, Darren Key eighth in 10:35 and Greg Tolan ninth in 10:37 for 23 team points. Clay McKell was 22nd overall in 11:23 with Mike Rossmassler 23rd in 11:33.

"Bates had a great kick again," said Harmatz.

In the boys frosh-soph division, Santa Clara finished first with 58 points and Fremont was a close second at 63.

Los Gatos was fourth in the team standings with Randy West sixth in 11:42.7, Steven Witham eighth and Chris Parides 11th.

Matt Meyer was first in 11:53.9 to lead the Lynbrook boys to a junior varsity title at Saratoga.

Jason Yuki of Los Gatos was second in the JV race in 11:58.4 with Steve Walton third and Will Laufe seventh.

In the girls junior varsity division, Milpitas edged Saratoga by a point for the title with Lynbrook third and Fremont fourth. Gatos had an incomplete team.

Shannon Kehrig was fifth for the Wildcats in 14:51.0 with Laura Rossmasler eighth, Stacy Adams ninth and Whitney Walker 18th. All four runners are freshmen.

Photo: Los Gatan John Brugo admires his 24-foot high cucuzza squash plants

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