SBVC Men’s Cross Country: Barnett Signs Letter of Intent

SBVC Men’s Cross Country and Men’s Track and Field sophomore Derek Barnett (Redlands East Valley) has signed a letter of intent with Our Lady of the Lake University in Texas. SBVC collected an 8th place finish at the CCCAA Men's Cross Country State Finals in November of 2015, Barnett crossed the finish line in 21st place with a time of 21:02.0. At the SoCal Finals in San Diego, Barnett crossed the line in 11th place with a time of 21:05.3 as SBVC collected a solid and hard fought third place team finish. At the final Foothill Conference Championship, SBVC collected their 20th consecutive title and 25th overall as they swept the field and grabbed a "Perfect 15," Barnett crossed the line in 3rd place with a time of 20:38. Third year coach Jim Ratigan guided his team to their 20th consecutive Foothill Conference Championship, then took a 3rd Place finish at the SoCal Finals with a 7th Place finish at the CCCAA State Championships. As a reward for their 25th Conference Championship, the team was bestowed with the Conference Coach of the Year award and the Conference MVP as they swept the field and grabbed 14 of the top 15 spots, including 1st place to 11th place to take a "Perfect 15." According to OLLUSaintsAthletics.com, Our Lady of the Lake University Men's Cross Country head coach Stephen Sherman said, "We are excited about Derek choosing to continue his running with us here at OLLU. He is a guy who has improved drastically since high school while at SBVC, and that is one of the main things that stood out to us. We were looking for another guy we could plug right into things and have success right away, and we think we have that with Derek. He is also a great student and person, which we also put quite a bit of emphasis on. In short, we are lucky to be getting him here as a complete student-athlete." Our Lady of the Lake University is located in San Antonio, Texas. The OLLU Saints home course is located at the Windcrest Golf Course, and the team is coached by seven-year veteran coach, Stephen Sherman. In the 2015 season, the Saints ended the 2015 season at the NAIA Cross-Country Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina finishing 36th. OLLU is in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) of NAIA.