Samohi XC & Track is proud to have sent the following runners onto college athletic teams. Go Vikings!
Chris Chavez ~ Class of 2004
Santa Monica High’s Track and field MVP and a four-year varsity letterman on a Ocean League Championship team and was named Samo’s “Most Athletic” his senior year. Chris then went on to Cal Berkeley where he ran on the cross country and track teams running personal bests of 14:14.57 in the 5000, 3:50.88 in the 1500 meters and is among Cal’s all-time top 10 performers in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:14.01. He represented the Cal Bears in many meets during cross country as well. Chris graduated from Cal in 2008 and lives in the Bay Area working for a finance company. He now trains and competes for the Bay Area Transports club team.
Ezana Tesfu ~ Class of 2009
Santa Monica HS standout Ezana Tesfu has been improving rapidly since taking up distance running his sophomore year. Already nearly a minute faster over 3200m than last season, the former soccer player has a bright future on the trails and track. Head Coach Tania Fischer’s team captain at Santa Monica enjoyed a solid senior cross country season posting his best 3 mile time at the South Bay cup running 15:22. Tesfu was the Ocean League champion setting the course record on the very challenging Kenneth Hahn Park course running 16:49. On the track, Tesfu has run 2:00 for 800m and 9:37 for 3200m. He was the Ocean League Champ in the 1600m and the 3200m. A stellar student, Tesfu carries a 3.86 GPA and is a sophomore at the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University where he will also continue to compete in XC and T&F for the Broncos.
Yermie Cohen ~ Class of 2005
Yermie graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and contributed to the men’s cross country and track programs running PR’s in the 800 of 1:57.11 and in the 1500 of 3:54.48. He has earned a few All-Conference accolades. He now is attending UCLA School of Medicine and running for the Santa Monica Track Club under the direction of Joe Douglass.
Matt Cohen -Class of 2008
A 2 year letterman in XC and track, and a captain of the teams his senior year, Matt capped off 4 years of steady improvement with a 16:13 clocking at Rancho Park to help secure yet another Ocean League title. Now entering his junior year at Haverford (PA) College, under the guidance of Tom Donnelly, Matt hopes to build on his last year, which saw a successful XC season and several forays into the steeplechase in the spring. He is now the captain of the XC team!
Sepehr Raja – Class of 2009
Sepehr Raja is excited to be a part of the UCI Cross- Country and Track Program. Along with his twin brother, he will be joining the Anteaters. He ran all 4 years at SAMO and continued improving his running times, making an impact his senior year. His 3 mile XC PR is 16:33 and knows that he will keep running faster in college.
Sohrob Raja- Class of 2009
Sohrob Raja is looking forward to running for the UCI Anteaters this fall along with his twin brother. Ran all 4 years for SAMO Cross- Country and Track . Came into his stride his senior year running his 3 mile XC PR 16:25 and excelling in track with a 4:42 mile.
Gabi Cruz- Class of 2009
A four year varsity performer in both cross country and track and two time cross-country MVP, Gabi was the 2009 Ocean League Champion in the 3200 meter run. The 2011 campaign marks Gabi’s third year competing for the UC Santa Cruz Fighting Banana Slugs where she is currently the team’s #2 runner. Already this season, Gabi has lowered her pr in the 5K to 18:44 and her best in the 6K to 23:45. Gabi attributes a large part of her success in college distance running to the excellent coaching she received while competing for SAMOHI. Best of all, Gabi still represents the Blue and Gold!