Cross Country

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis junior soccer player Anna Gregg was named the River Cats Girls Soccer Player of the Year at the High School Awards Ceremony before Sunday’s game against the Tacoma Rainers.

“It means so much and feels so great,” said Gregg of the Player of the Year honor. “I set a goal to help to the section championship and that was accomplished. I could not be happier.”

Gregg and her St. Francis teammates captured the Sac-Joaquin Section title on Saturday on her goal to defeat Oak Ridge 1-0.

BOSTON – Former Troubadour Maggie Lloyd will run the Boston Marathon Monday fulfilling a life-long dream but with a bigger inspiration.

“One of my earliest running goals was to run the Boston marathon, and I still can’t believe that I am on my way to living that dream, but this race isn’t about checking something off my bucket list,” said Lloyd on her MIT Strong page.

Lloyd, who is a ‘08 graduate of St. Francis, was a volunteer at the marathon for each of her four years attending MIT.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Three St. Francis runners were named to the Sac-Joaquin Section Cross Country All-Star team announced by the PrepCalTrack.com.

Senior Lauren LaRocco, senior Madison Rawson and junior Miranda Myers were each named to the seven-member girls first team. The Troubadours were the only team to have three runners on the first team.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lauren LaRocco has committed to run for the University of Portland this fall. She will officially sign her National Letter-of-Intent on Wednesday.

“I am really excited,” said LaRocco. “There are so many benefits to running in college. It is going to be a really fun experience. I have been told on my visits how great it is to be part of a team. It sounds like a blast.”

Portland is coached by Ian Solof. The Pilot cross country team finished ninth at the NCAA West Regionals and second at the West Coast Conference meet.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Bumps and bruises are her specialty but Kelly Ketcham brings much more to the St. Francis High School community.

Ketcham was named the Assistant AD for Sports Medicine for the St. Francis Athletics Department staff recently after working with the Troubadour student-athletes and teams as the school’s athletic trainer for the last four years. The title was effective in November 2013.

FRESNO, Calif. – St. Francis placed three runners among the top 20 to lead the team to a ninth-place finish overall Saturday at Woodward Park.

“We knew our team would show up well prepared,” said assistant coach Mason Myers. “The girls had two weeks since our last race to mentally prepare. Lauren, Miranda and Madison all had huge PRs on this course. It was very exciting.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Madison Rawson had participated in a running club in Pensacola but had never been part of a team. One long distance call and four years later, she is one of the elite runners in the state of California on one of the best teams heading into the CIF State Championships on Nov. 30.

Rawson, who lives in Roseville, moved to the area from Florida just prior to her freshman year. Before arriving or even attending her first day at her new school, Sacramento’s St. Francis, she was signed up for the cross country team by her parents.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – It was the perfect ending for Nicole Mendoza to be finishing her career where it began in her hometown.

A 2009 graduate of St. Francis, Mendoza competed as a fifth-year senior for UC Irvine at the NCAA West Regionals hosted by Sacramento State on Friday at Haggin Oaks.

“It was awesome,” said Mendoza. “All of my old coaches are here. My family is here. It has been really great to run here for my last race.”