Gidabuday wins for fourth time in five years, Great Oak CA boys place five athletes in top seven, all covering road course in under 15:15 to smash all-time high school record by clocking 75:51; Ayala CA girls also triumph in team competition

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

It was only fitting that for the 25th edition of the Baldwin Park Pride of the Valley 5K, two of the most impressive legacies in the event’s history excelled again Saturday on the road course adjacent to Morgan Park in Baldwin Park, Calif.

Sydney Gidabuday, a 13-time All-American and six-time NCAA Division 2 national champion at Adams State, returned after not competing in last year’s race to win for the fourth time in five years in 14 minutes, 22 seconds.

Gidabuday, an El Modena CA graduate, set the course record by clocking 14:00 in 2017 to win his third in a row, before Juan Paredes prevailed last year in 14:52.

Canadian talent Natasha LaBeaud Anzures also returned after not attending the event last year to produce the fastest women’s time of 16:31, placing 27th overall, with Cal Coast Track Club’s Ashlee Powers finishing 37th in 16:48.

LaBeaud Anzures also prevailed in the women’s competition in 2017 in 16:14, finishing 29th. Valerie Sanchez was last year’s women’s winner, placing 36th overall in 16:45.

Aside from the individual success of Gidabuday and LaBeaud Anzures, perhaps the strongest performance Saturday came from Great Oak CA, which competed as South Temecula Track Club.

Making its ninth appearance at the event, Great Oak produced the all-time record for a prep lineup, clocking 75:51, a huge improvement from its 77:12 in 2014.

Even more significant was the fact that Great Oak didn’t have three of its projected top five athletes competing.

Chris Verdugo and Chaminade CA transfer Christian Simone placed second and fourth overall, both timed in 15:07, along with third-place finisher Jacques Sallberg.

Aric Reza (15:11), Leandro Candray (15:12) and John Worthy (15:14) rounded out the record-setting lineup, with the Wolfpack also receiving a strong effort by eighth-place finisher Parker Smith (15:33). All six athletes elevated into the top 16 performances in program history at the annual competition.

Great Oak graduate and Cal signee Fatima Cortes was the fourth female finisher in 17:53, placing 80th overall, with Russian professional Nina Zarina finishing 70th in 17:45.

Ayala CA, competing as Hydro Flasks, won the girls high school competition, led by Shaina Berk in 18:31, the 10th female finisher – including the top prep female athlete – and 103rd overall.

Megan Oh (19:22), Emma Bialy (19:37), Brianna King (19:42) and Olivia Gomez (20:16) also contributed to the victory for Ayala, which lowered its previous best combined team time at the event by seven seconds to clock 97:28.

Great Oak, relying on a lineup consisting primarily of freshmen, finished second in the girls competition. Melinda Dang was the top finisher for the Wolfpack in 19:02, 16th among female athletes and 120th overall. California High of Whittier placed third, led by Mai Quezada in 20:02.

California placed second in the boys competition, led by Jared Alderfer taking 10th overall in 15:43. Ayala finished third, led by Yael Grimaldi placing 12th overall in 15:46.