Cerritos College Cross Country Runner Named State's Male Athlete of the Month

Cerritos College cross country runner Daniel Herrera has run all over the competition this year and it has not gone unnoticed.

Herrera, who hails from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, Calif., has won five of the six invitationals he has competed in this season. His most recent performance at the Southern California Championship helped secure his selection as the October Male Athlete of the Month, an honor bestowed by the California Community College Sports Information Directors Association (CCCSIA).

This six-foot 149-pound freshman, is also considered one of the favorites to win the state championship, which will take place at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 19.

At the Southern California Championships, Herrera defeated the field in a time of 19:58.60 over the four-mile course to become the first Falcon runner to ever win the championship. Earlier in the year, Herrera also placed first at the South Coast Conference Championships, Santa Barbara Invitational, SoCal Preview Meet and UC San Diego Invitational, according to the college.

The only race he did not win was at the Commodore Invitational, which was held at Vanderbilt University, where he placed sixth. Herrera was only bested by five Division I runners, while he defeated many others over the six-mile course.

Herrera is the only the fifth Cerritos College male athlete to receive this monthly recognition, and he is 12th Falcon athlete overall since the awards inception in 2005. The school's 12 awards is the most of any other community college institution in the state.