All Time El Paso Boys 3200 list (through track season 2021)

 Last track season (Spring 2021) brought some additions to the All-Time El Paso 3200 Meter Boys list I figured I should publish the updated list prior to some of the same runners re-arranging it

El Paso Boys 3200 Top 10 (plus Honorable Mention)

1- Daniel Bernal (Eastwood) - 8:54.21 @ Region 1-6A 2017

2- David Medlin- (Hanks)- 9:01.40 @ UIL State 5A 1987

3- Brian Barraza (Franklin)- 9:05.24 @ Region 1-5A 2013

4- Israel David (Eastlake)- 9:09.57 @ Region 1-6A 2021

5- Luis Pastor (Coronado) - 9:12.03 @Region 1-6A 2021

6- Sergio Cuartas (Eastwood)- 9:12.23 @ Region 1-6A 2021

7- Bobby Aguirre (Riverside)-9:13.10 @ UIL State 5A 1982

8-Michael Abeyta (Hanks)- 9:13.89 @ Region 1-5A 2018

9- Isaac Mendoza (Eastwood)- 9:14.46 @ Region 1-6A 2021

10- Isaac Spencer (Austin)- 9:14.75 @ UIL State 4A 2011

Honorable Mention

Aaron Gilliam (Irvin)-9:15.12 @ Texas Relays 2017

Alan Culpepper (Coronado)- 9:15.90 @ UIL State 5A 1989

Brandon Seagraves (Cathedral)- 9:16.25 @ TAPPS 6A 2019

Anthony Molina (Eastwood)- 9:16.45 @Region 1-6a 2018

Edwin Gomez (San Elizario)- 9:17.45 @Chandler Rotary 2019

David Scott (El Paso High)- 9:18.15 @UIL State 4A 1999

NOTE: Sergio Oaxaca of Bel Air was often credited with a 8:55 in 1980. As he was listed as the NFHS leader that year with the mark and had run 1:51, 4:08 and 8:23 (3000) that year it was right in line. However after confirmation from Sergio himself, he did not run a 3200 in 1980. It should be noted his 3000 conversion for 3200 is 9:00.39

The GOAT's of El Paso Prep Cross Country (Boys)

Recently Milesplit came out with a top 50 runners of all time in TX list for track and XC. While I agree with the 3 picks they made from El Paso I'm not sure I'd agree on the order. My #1 in XC was not mentioned. As well,  unlike the Milesplit post , my list below is for XC ONLY.  I will attempt one for track at a later time.  In track it will be hard from a distance point of view to top the 1980 season of Sergio Oaxaca (Bel Air) who recorded 1:51 for 800, 3:51 for 1500, 4:08 for 1600, 8:23 for 3000 and 8:55 for 3200. For track and XC combined, I'd vote for Daniel Bernal who recorded an EP city record of 8:54.2 for 3200 and a 2 mile National Title (NBON) to go with a top 10 finish at NXN XC Nationals.

XC -while we can compare times on courses it is not as clear cut as the same course often runs different. One year it may be wet and muddy and another hard and fast. Place matters and here at the highest level is where I break it down. As well, this is based on the prep career. The NCAA/Pro level may be mentioned but is not factored.

 This is my opinion and I welcome friendly debate. Other may beg to differ.

The GOAT's of El Paso Prep Cross Country.

1) Bobby Aguirre- The EP Riverside Ranger had a prep XC career that was unrivaled. He was the District 2-5A champion 4 straight years (1980,81,82,83). He was the Region 1 Champion 3 years in a row (1981,82,83) after a breakthrough 2nd place in 1980.  His 14:39  in 1983 at Mae Simmons stood as the outright course record for 26 years and then as the fastest by an El Paso runner for 36 years. At the state level his career was incredible.  Bobby first broke through with a 6th place as a freshman and then won 2 Golds (1981 and 1983)  He was 2nd in 1982 in an epic battle with Jon Warren of Houston Cypress Creek. In 1981 he ran away from the great Carlos Quinones of Kileen who won state titles in the 800 and 3200 and later was a SWC champion at UT  In 1983, he absolutely dominated. He broke from the pack with one mile to go and defeated the field by 25 seconds over the last mile! The 2nd place finisher who he ran away from was Tony Martinez of San Antonio Churchill who ran 9:02 for 3200 and was a FL/Kinney Nationals finalist finishing 17th at the national meet. While Bobby did not compete in the post season the resounding victories he had over such top notch competition in 81 and 83 leave no doubt he was amongst the best prep XC runners in the US.

2- Alan Culpepper- The Coronado T-Bird has definitely had the best POST prep career of any El Paso  Track or XC athlete with not one but 2 Olympic Games on his resume. While at Coronado, Alan starred in XC. He was 3 times the District 1-5A and Region 1 Champion (88, 89 and 90) and twice the State Champion, (89 and 90). The highlight of his prep career in XC would be the 4th place finish recorded at FL/Kinney Nationals in 1990. He later starred at the University of Colorado and then as a pro for both Adidas and Nike. At the NCAA level he was a national champion at 5000 meters and as a pro he has won numerous USATF titles in both XC and Track. Twice an Olympian (00 in the 10,000 and 04 in the Marathon) he is one of the few select runners to record both a Sub 4 mile and a Sub 2:10 marathon.

3- Daniel Bernal- The Eastwood Trooper may have had the best combined XC/Track season of all in a great 2016/2017. In 2015 as a Junior he was the Region 1 champion in XC in a blazing 14:41 in an assault on Bobby Aguirre's long standing EP course record. He finished 36th at the NXN National meet, in 2016 despite finishing 3rd at the Region 1 meet he peaked at the right time to finish 10th at an extremely competitive NXN Nationals making Bernal and Culpepper the only 2 EP preps to record a top 10 finish at the National meets. Bernal is now starring at Furman University where his 54th place finish at the NCAA National Championships was the highest finish by an El Paso prep alum since Alan Culpepper in 1994. The future looks bright for Daniel.

(Bernal in blue at NXN)

4- Michael Abeyta-  the Hanks star is the best EP runner ever to not win a State XC title or qualify for National Meet. What an incredible career he had, if not for one Graydon Morris of Aledo then Abeyta would be a multi State Champion in XC (as he was in track).  Twice a state silver medalist he never finished worse than 6th at State in XC. His 2 silvers were about a split second behind one of the best ever from TX in Graydon Morris and he only missed a spot at Foot Locker Nationals in 2019 by the same margin. He also posted the fastest El Paso time ever on the Mae Simmons Region 1 course in Lubbock when he bettered Aguirre's time by 4 seconds with a blazing 14:35. With range from the 400 to XC it will be interesting to see him develop at the University of Oregon. 

Morris (L) and Abeyta in one of many epic battles

5- Brian Barraza- the El Paso Franklin star didn't win the Region or State titles but ran at very high level for both in 2012. His 14:52 at Region 1 was, at the time, EP #2 and he ran a strong 5th at State. As well, he didn't run any of the 2 major post season Nationals in Foot Locker or NXN but he did finish 2nd at USATF Junior Nationals to Estevan De La Rosa who was a top 5 finisher at NXN. After a great collegiate career at the University of Houston he is now a professional runner for the famed Tinman Elite club and represents Adidas.  Stay tuned as the best is still to come from Brian.

Brian as a pro- pic lifted from his Twitter

Honorable Mentions:

Edwin Gomez- the San Elizario runner qualified for the 2018 NXN National Finals after winning the 4A State title in XC as a freshman in 2017. He has a season to bump up here

Tony Zuiniga - The El Paso Tiger was the 1972 state champion and later an XC NCAA All American at UTEP

Ruben Dominguez- The Austin Panther was the 1973 Texas State XC Champ

Kenny Schmidt- The Austin Panther was the 1977 Texas State XC Champ

There are honestly so many others that could go in here, many are covered in my Instagram

National Finalists:

1980- Alfredo Trejo- Bowie-KInney/Foot Locker-20th

1988-Michael Lara- Ysleta-Kinney/Foot Locker-26th 

1990-Alan Culpepper-Coronado-Kinney/Foot Locker- 4th

2015-Daniel Bernal- Eastwood-NXN- 36th

2016-Daniel Bernal -Eastwood- NXN- 10th

2018- Edwin Gomez- San Elizario- NXN - 84th

I will attempt the EP Girls list soon as well as the Track lists. For more on Bobby Aguirre please refer to my post from 2008

http://alltracktalk.blogspot.com/2008/11/bobby-aguirre-tx-high-school-cross.html

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All-Time Texas top 10- 3200 meters as of 4/30/2017

1-Colby Lowe Southlake Carroll -8:44.07 (8:47 yards conversion)-2008 - NON (Nike Outdoor)
2- Craig Nowak- Cypress Woods-8:49.12-2012- Arcadia Invitaional
3- Reed Brown- Southlake Carroll- 8:50.43-2016 UIL State 6A
4-Sam Worley- Comal Canyon-8:51.44- 2016 UIL State 6A
5-Eric Henry-Conroe McCullough-8:52.2- 1987 UIL State 5A
6-Alex Maier- Lewisville Flower Mound-8:52.30- 2017 District 5-6A
7- Craig Lutz- Lewisville Marcus- 8:52.91- 2011- UIL State 5A
8- Brian Sullivan- Conroe McCullough- 8:52,92- 2004 Texas Relays
9- Tim Gargiulo- Plano East - 8:53.60- 1986 Region 2-5A (won TX Relays in 8:54.08)
10- Daniel Bernal- El Paso Eastwood-8:54.21- 2017 Region 1-6A

The Bernal mark also breaks the 8:55.40 El Paso outright record set by Sergio Oaxaca (Bel Air) in his great 1980 season. His mark stood as the NFHS record from 1980-1982. He still holds the El Paso City Record at 4:08.9 for 1600 from that year. Also ran 1:51.55 for 800, 3:51.2 for 1500 and 8:23.34 for 3000 (TX Relays winner).

Honoring El Paso Eastwood Coaching legend Doug Littlejohn

The below if for Coach Doug Littlejohn being recognized as a "Coaching Legend" at the Horizon ISD Cross Country Invitational on Friday September 16, 2016.

Coach Doug Littlejohn first came to Eastwood High School in 1969. After only teaching for a couple years he started coaching Cross Country in 1971. While a relatively new program/sport to many schools and athletes Coach Littlejohn started having success quickly sending several runners to the State Cross Country Meet during the 1970's. Eastwood really came into their own under Coach Littlejohn as a Cross Country powerhouse in the 1980's. The 1983 Boy's team finished 7th at the state meet after taking the District 2-5A title. That was the beginning of a very successful decade for Littlejohn. The 1984 Boy's team lead by Mike Montes and Joe Messer captured the Region 1 Cross Country Championship in Lubbock TX, then capped the season with the bronze medal at one of the most competitive state meets in TX history. The next 2 seasons, 1985 and 1986 had Littlejohn coached squads ranked in the top 10 in the State making a 4 year span of top-10 State ranked boys squads.


 (1983 Boys with Coach Littlejohn)

Taking a cue from the Boy's squads the Eastwood Girls team solidified themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the State level. The 1987 Bridgette O'Toole/Monica Sanchez led team replicated the 1984 Boys accomplishments and also captured the Region 1 Cross Country title and earned the bronze medal at the State Championships. The next year saw the Sanchez led squad take 4th at the State Meet, only 2 points out of their 2nd consecutive state medal. The next season was his last year coaching cross country.



 (1987 Girls with Coach Littlejohn)

Now that I have set the history, I started at Eastwood in the fall of 1982. I looked forward to being trained by the man who led Eastwood to the 1981 Region 1 Track and Field title. To this day that is the last El Paso team to ever capture the big school title at the region level in Track and Field. No other coach has accomplished that since. I knew he was a great coach, that was never in doubt. What I gained that I didn't expect was a man who still serves as an inspiration to me this day. In High School he was a second father to me. I still think of him this way in terms of how much I respect and regard him. He trained us to be race ready and competitive but he also taught us to be "life ready" I credit Coach Doug Littlejohn with many of the "right" decisions I have made in life. Under his watchful eye, I gained many lifelong friends that I hold onto to this day. He taught us to respect our rivals and that is something I think we certainly did as many of the long term friendships our team built with competitors last to this day.
I don't get to El Paso often these days but when I do a trip to see Littlejohn is a must. To my Mentor,   but most importantly, my COACH.You put Eastwood  High School Cross Country on the map as a state powerhouse in the 1980's on both the Boy's and Girl's level. Congratulations on this well deserved honor. Enjoy your day, I'm sad I can't share it with you.
-Joe Messer- XC-1982-85

Coach Littlejohn:  Life Coach

It's amazing how fast 30 years have gone and not a day goes by where Coach Littlejohns guidance and leadership continues to resonate. 

He not only mentored and pioneered a winning culture at Eastwood that thrives today,  he molded and inspired his teams to believe in themselves , to view failure as opportunity and insisted hard work drives results.

As I speak for the XC Class of 85' , THANK YOU!  Your legacy continues to play out to this day and inspires me to be the best husband, father and leader that I can be. 

God bless to you and your family 

GO TROOP !! 

-Mike Montes-XC-81-84

When my close friend, and former teammate, Joe Messer, informed me that Coach Littlejohn was being honored this weekend, I was thrilled. Then Joe asked me to write a few lines to commemorate the celebration, and I was humbled, and excited at the same time.

During my high school years, other than my father, Coach Littlejohn was the single most influential man in my life. He taught me so much about running, and made me understand the concept of such words as "team," and "pack running." Now, I am a high school coach and I find myself yelling the same words to my current teams. Each time I echo his words, a smile comes across my face. I live by the motto, "WWLD," what would Littlejohn do? Each time I give one of my runners a nick name, I think back to the nick name that Coach Littlejohn gave me, and in my defense Coach, my butt really wasn't THAT big!

However, his teaching went way beyond the cross country course. He taught me about the character of a man, and made me want to be a better person. I can't think of a more deserving man to receive such an award. Congratulations on this wonderful, and much deserved, award, Coach Littlejohn! It has been a long time coming.

Love,

Johnny "Big Nalga" Frias- XC-82-85

Coach Littlejohn-a 'Second Father' to many-I still hear that statement about him all these years later. He will always be 'Coach'--not 'Doug,' or 'Littlejohn' or even 'Mr. Littlejohn'--always 'Coach.'

He had the ability to be tough and supportive at the same time-his athletes respected him for that. He made you want to be better than you thought you could be-in track and your personal life.

I'm thankful for his guidance and enjoyed running track and CC for him at Eastwood
- Rick Oropeza-XC- 84-87

COACH LITTLEJOHN 
 Coach Littlejohn always walked around timing our team during practice with a stop watch. I would always see him over exaggerate pushing the stop button every time we passed our stopping point. He would tell us how our times were a record pace at practice.. "Great time guys!" he would yell out. Boy, did that make me feel proud of our group, my teammates. I would later find out he was making us believe we were running faster than we really were. From what I understand he would stop the time early and act like he was stopping it at a specific moment. That would explain the over acting of the stop watch when we ran our timed runs. However, that made us that much better during our cross country meets when it counted the most. He had us believe that we could outrun the competition, as a team, with these fabricated times in our minds. Well guess what? It worked. You see, we are taught in life that the outer world is more real than our inner world. Coach Littlejohn taught me that the opposite is true. "Running is 90% mental and 10% physical" Coach Littlejohn would tell us. What happens inside our minds, our thoughts, our dreams....ultimately becomes our reality. This is what determines how the outcome will be. We create our world in our minds. And those thoughts are fulfilled even before they are acted out in life. Coach Littlejohn never showed us our times on his stop watch. I never looked at his stop watch, or for that matter, knew if it ever worked. I do know that Coach Littlejohn has impacted my life and has molded me into the individual I am today. He is more than a coach to me, Coach Doug Littlejohn is my mentor. Thank you Coach for the ride......it was great!

- Henry 'Baybee' Garcia better known as Mijo to Coach Littlejohn -XC-83-86