Kingpins

Joseph Boo

ORANGE - Corona del Mar High’s girls cross country team came into

the Orange County Championship with a big target on the backs of it’s

snazzy new black uniforms.

In a wild race, the Sea Kings were the target of virtually ever team in

Orange County, being razzed with everything from comments the new

uniforms to a dairy-related mysterious nickname. CdM managed to hold off

the competition, though, and win the varsity sweepstakes race at Irvine

Park.

Afterward, CdM was obviously relieved of living up to expectations as the

No. 1 team in Orange County. This is the first team win at the meet for

the current varsity runners.

“Yeah, we felt the pressure of being No. 1,” CdM Coach Bill Sumner said.

“We won. You can’t ask for anything more. Everybody’s like, ‘what’s wrong

with you guys, you can’t win by more than 10 points.’ Well, Orange County

has some of the toughest teams in the state. Four of the last five state

champions competed here.”

“We ran to win the race, not to blow everybody out.”

Actually, the Sea Kings won by 14 points over former Sea View League

nemesis Woodbridge. It was a lot closer than the score indicated, because

CdM won it with a late flurry at the end when Jenny Cummins and Liz Morse

each passed three runners. Cummins made the crucial pass, going by three

Woodbridge runners at the end.

Morse ended up in fourth place as the top finisher for the Sea Kings with

a time of 18:02. Cummins finished 10th with an 18:17. But more

importantly, and impressively, is that all seven CdM runners finished in

the top 30.

“We had seven runners in the top 30,” Sumner said. “That’s the real

important number. That’s what wins the state meets.”

Katie Quinlan finished 19th, Diana Hossfeld 24th, Katherine Morse 28th,

Jill Quye 29th and Season Meservey 30th. CdM’s pack running was not only

impressive, but it was imposing, and opponents made it a point to deter

the team from the beginning.

“They came right in front of us at the start,” Quye said. “We didn’t have

a good starting point anyway, over at the side. But other teams cut us

off and we had to work through it. We managed to get past everyone at the

bottom of the hill.”

“It was so scary,” Quinlan said. “There were a bunch of girls

everywhere.”

“Everybody was yelling, ‘get the ice creams,”’ Hossfeld said. “I don’t

know where that came from. But everybody was after us.”

Despite the hostile atmosphere, CdM managed to hold onto the race. More

importantly, it reaffirmed itself as the dominating team in Orange County

and a favorite for the state meet.

The win also erases some bad taste from previous Orange County

Championships, including last year’s when the team finished fourth and

Quinlan had an asthma attack in the first mile.

“We got so close to winning for three years,” Morse said. “We were never

No. 1 in the county until now. So this feels good.”

More importantly, the win seem to emotionally loosen up a team that

everybody expects to efficiently dominate every race.

“This race is dedicated to the CdM team,” Sumner said. “It’s dedicated to

the two seniors, It’s dedicated to Marie Turner, who came back from back

surgery, and it’s dedicated to all the runners who normally don’t get

their names in the paper.”

And for Morse and Quye, the only two seniors on the team, the race had

extra incentive.

“It’s our last OC championship,” Morse said as she hugged Quye. “That’s

why the it’s special.”

ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

Girls Varsity Swepstake

(at Irvine Park)

1. Steen (NH), 17:44; 2. Mann (Santa Margarita), 17:50; 3. Sears (Mater

Dei), 17:59; 4. L. Morse (CdM), 18:02; 5. L. Strachan (Foothill), 18:02;

6. Tarmey (Capistrano Valley), 18:04; 7. Eckshaedt (El Modena), 18:07; 8.

K. Strachan (Foothill), 18:15; 9. Perkins (Pacifica), 18:17; 10. Cummins

(CdM), 18:17.