Chris Schwartz - 1600 & 3200

A 3200 title has been the goal since Schwartz ran at state his sophomore year. That year he learned what state was all about. Last year, he ran into the buzzsaw that was German Fernendez who erased the national record in the 3200. One of the few who tried to run with him that magical evening and manage to still run a good time was Schwartz.

Schwartz came in second and broke nine minutes for the first time while being part of the historic race last year. This year he is expecting to finish his own outstanding high school career with a win in the 3200.

Event 18 Boys 3200 Meter Run
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National: 8:34.23 5/31/2008 German Fernandez (Riverbank)
State Meet: 8:34.23 5/31/2008 German Fernandez (Riverbank)
Name Year School Seed
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1 Olson, Erik 11 Novato/nc 8:55.06
2 Wooff, Heyden 10 Camarillo/ss 8:57.66
3 McElroy, Matt 11 Edison(HB)ss 8:59.91
4 Pons, Sam 10 S Pasadena 9:00.95
5 Nelson, Western 12 Burr Bur/ss 9:04.19
6 Chavez, Isaac 12 Barstow/ss 9:04.50
7 Torres, Zack 12 Cres. Vly/ss 9:04.85
8 Moussa, Ammar 10 Arcadia/ss 9:06.06
9 Jarvis, Collin 12 Rnch Buna/sd 9:06.24
10 Ramirez, Noe 12 Vis. Murrieta 9:06.59
11 Wolfsmith, Lance 12 Sobrato 9:07.10
12 Schmidt, Cody 12 Redondo /ss 9:07.71
13 Rowe, Garrett 11 MountainV/cc 9:08.17
14 Rosales, Daniel 11 Apple Vl/ss 9:08.96
15 lockert, sterling 12 Petaluma/nc 9:09.48
16 Rafiee, Adrian 12 Ptrck Hnr/sd 9:10.42
17 Landrum, Wyatt 12 Liberty/nc 9:10.90
18 Macquitty, Philip 11 Palo Alto/cc 9:10.93
19 Moriarty, Mitch 11 Aptos/cc 9:11.57
20 Byers, Reesey 11 Santa Rsa/nc 9:14.15
21 Brewer, Chris 10 Rnch Buna/sd 9:14.19
22 Petersen, Matt 12 Davis /sj 9:17.91
23 Halsted, Trevor 10 Davis /sj 9:18.04
24 Mitchell, Dan 12 Del Campo/sj 9:19.99
25 Schwartz, Chris Foothill/ce 9:20.22
26 Sanchez, Jonathan Buchanan/ce 9:22.21
27 Reedy, Heath Buchanan/ce 9:22.28
28 Ogbai, Mewael 12 Oakland/ok 9:35.59
29 Rosales, Pablo 11 San Pedro/la 9:37.41
30 Mendez, Jorge` 11 Monroe/la 9:42.67
31 Solorzano, Javert 11 Granada H/La 9:44.73
32 Kaylor, Zack 11 Enterpris/no 9:53.46

"I want to be in the Olympics while I'm still in college."

Schwartz runs down his dream
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer
zewing@bakersfield.com | Thursday, May 21 2009 10:05 PM

Five years ago, as a 13-year-old eighth grader, Chris Schwartz visited Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

"It was the first college I'd ever visited," Schwartz said. "It was like me. It's next to the beach; I love the beach. It was laid-back. It was cool."

This, mind you, was before Schwartz found a stable foster home, before he began to focus on academics at Foothill High and really before he started running in earnest.

It also, of course, was before he won a cross-country state championship, a state runner-up finish in the 3,200 meters on the track and a top-10 place at the Foot Locker national cross country race last fall.

So when Schwartz signed a letter of intent at Foothill on Thursday to attend Cal Poly, it was the end of a long pathway to the coast.

"He doesn't walk around like, 'Look at me, I'm the best,'" Foothill track and cross country coach Arron Rietz said. "He's matured. Earlier he was a little more cocky, but he's learned, especially with his personal problems. He knows that if kids have problems, they can talk to him, but he doesn't say, 'Hey, I was in foster care.' He lets his actions speak."

Schwartz has personal bests of 8:58.50 in the 3,200 -- that during the state-championship race last year -- and 14:59 in cross country. He was the first Kern County state cross country champion ever as a junior, and he won the Jim Tyack Award, given to the best boys and girls athlete in Kern County, on Monday.

All this after Schwartz grew up in a troubled home. His mother abandoned him at a mental hospital when Schwartz was 11. He then bounced around in foster homes and group homes until high school, when his life stabilized.

Now this.

Schwartz signed next to his foster parents, Robert and Martha Gonzales, and in front of a packed room of friends and teammates, plus Rietz and long-distance coach Paul Contreras.

"It feels great," Schwartz said. "I'm happy to go to a place where I really want to go."

He'll join a nationally renowned track and cross country programs at Cal Poly that typically rank in the nation's top 30.

That, Rietz said, is exactly what's needed for Schwartz, who thrives off of competition and doesn't get much of it locally.

"He's going to a place where he won't be the fastest guy, at least not at first," Rietz said. "They'll push him to be the best."

To Schwartz, this is a step on another pathway that one day he hopes will lead all the way to the Olympics.

"I want to be in the Olympics while I'm still in college," Schwartz said. "I want to be one of the fastest guys there."

A Trojan will become a Mustang

On Thursday May 21st, Chris Schwartz will sign a letter of intent to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next fall.

In the next two weeks, Schwartz could become Bakersfield's G.O.A.T. too.





Below is how he stacks up against the best Bakersfield runners of All-Time:

1. 4:13.0 Tom Elieff Highland-Bakersfield ‘74
2. 4:14.3 Eddie Granillo East-Bakersfield ‘70
3. 4:14.72a Chris Schwartz Foothill-Bakersfield ‘09
4. 4:15.6 Robert Johnson Bakersfield ‘80
5. 4:15.85a Billy Nelson Taft ‘02
6. 4:15.89a +Terry Hickey Foothill-Bakersfield
7. 4:16.08a Chad Schmidt North-Bakersfield ‘86
8. 4:16.2 Robby Bray North-Bakersfield ’74
   
9. 4:16.6 Scott Hislop West- Bakersfield ’77
10. 4:16.8 Blaine Rudolph Bakersfield ‘78
11. 4:17.12a Taylor Lucero Bakersfield ‘02
12. 4:17.0 Laird Parker Shafter ‘68
13. 4:17 Jose Chavez Bakersfield ‘73
14. 4:17.23a Sean Langer Bakersfield ’65

1. 8:52.1 Felix Elieff Highland- Bakersfield ‘77
2. 8:58.50a +Chris Schwartz Foothill-Bakersfield ’08
3. 8:59.2 Eddie Granillo East-Bakersfield ‘70
4. 9:08.5 Rick Hitchcock North- Bakersfield ‘68
5. 9:14.12a Ricardo Brewer North-Bakersfield ‘93
6. 9:18.0 Lucas Burke Stockdale-Bakersfield ‘03
7. 9:18.5 Roman Gutierrez Foothill-Bakersfield ‘77
8. 9:18 Richard Ursin Bakersfield ‘77