El Toro senior Juan Gonzalez has crafted a running career filled with success while maintaining an outward appearance of serenity.
Yet beneath the external expression of calm, Gonzalez was fueled to achieve at an elite level by a competitive will that El Toro coach Rick Hagin compared to that of a lion.
His extraordinary feats on the track this season helped him become one of the county’s best distance performers in recent years.
For his performance, Gonzalez has been selected as the Orange County Register’s boys track and field co-athletes of the year.
2013 All-County boys track and field team
Newport Harbor’s Taylor is 2013 boys track co-athlete of the year
Orange Lutheran’s Ayers is 2013 boys track coach of the year
“There are a lot of great athletes in this county and it is special for me to be chosen to win this award,” Gonzalez said. “I am so thankful to have had the good support of my parents, coaches, and teammates.”
After being selected the Register’s boys cross country athlete of the year during the fall, Gonzalez returned to the track this spring and picked up where he left off.
In the featured 3,200-meter race at the Arcadia Invitational, Gonzalez clocked a school record and lifetime best of 8:54.01. It moved him into 10th place on the county’s all-time list and was the fastest eight-lap race performance by a county runner since 1981.
Two weeks later, Gonzalez flashed his trademark final kick in the last 100 meters of the 800 to win the title at the Orange County Championships.
Gonzalez, who was the lone athlete in the county to finish the season ranked in the top six in the 800, 1,600, and the 3,200, won all three titles at the Sea View League Finals to help El Toro win the meet and claim the outright league title.
Hagin praised Gonzalez for his ability to adapt to whatever was asked of him and to sacrifice potential individual accolades for greater team success.
“He has been totally dedicated and coachable in his availability to do whatever is asked of him in training, racing, or as a leader,” Hagin said. “He has been a model athlete in so many ways.”
Gonzalez continued his winning ways during CIF-SS competition. He won double distance titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals.
The following week at the CIF-SS Masters Meet, Gonzalez was third entering the backstretch of the final lap of the 1,600, but once again outkicked his competition to win the race.
Hagin was impressed with Gonzalez’s diligence in following his training plan to peak at the right time of the season.
“He has shown great maturity and self-control to patiently wait for the end of the year and the most important time to race competitively,” Hagin said.
Gonzalez took fourth place at the state meet in both the 1,600 and 3,200, and he described his season as the “perfect senior year.”
“I have a great amount of gratitude and joy for the blessings of making it as far as I did this season,” Gonzalez said.
