Newport boys, Steen, win Sea View titles

ORANGE - The Newport Harbor High boys wrapped up their third

straight championship and junior Amber Steen claimed an individual girls

title for the Sailors Thursday at the Sea View League Cross Country

Finals at Irvine Park.

Steen topped the field in 17:20, 19 seconds faster than her closest

competitor, to help the Sailors finish second to Woodbridge in the girls

team standings.

Coach Bim Barry’s boys squad, which went unbeaten in league dual meets,

got strong performances from seniors Chris Landgren and Doug Dukes, who

finished third and fourth, respectively, in 15:23 and 15:27.

The Sailors’ boys team finished with 32 points, well ahead of

second-place Laguna Hills, despite having its top runner, junior Chris

McMillen, hampered by illness. McMillen ran anyway and finished 16th

(16:23), but his effort was not needed for scoring.

In addition to Landgren and Dukes, whom Barry said ran the best races of

their season, junior John Peschelt finished seventh (15:57), while

sophomores Ivan Romero (16:05) and Joel Furman (16:06) ran personal-best

times to finish eighth and 10th, respectively.

Steen, seventh at league finals as a sophomore, is at the top of her

game, according to Harbor girls coach Eric Tweit. Her effort, as well as

the fifth-place showing of junior Sonya Mechkor (17:58), broke up Woodbridge’s domination. The Warriors place eight runners in the top 10.

Along with Mechkor, Tweit said juniors Lynn Rinek (18:45) and Erin

Friedman (18:58) ran their best races of the season to finish 11th and

12th, respectively. Junior Natalie St. Andre also improved, finishing

16th in 19:28.

Newport’s boys and girls squads, both ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern

Section Division II, will compete in section preliminaries Nov. 13.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE FINALS

Boys

Team scores

1. Newport Harbor 32, 2. Laguna Hills, 65; 3. Irvine, 75; 4. Aliso

Niguel, 87; 5. Woodbridge, 101.

Individuals

1. Rocha (LH), 15:05; 2. Armijo (AN), 15:17; 3. Landgren (NH), 15:23; 4.

Dukes (NH), 15:27; 5. Warner (LH), 15:28; 6. Metcalf (AN), 15:41; 7.

Peschelt (NH), 15:57; 8. Romero (NH), 16:05; 9. Schwarz (W), 16:05; 10.

Furman (NH), 16:06. Others: 16. McMillen (NH), 16:23; 18. Cortes (NH), 16:42.

Girls

Team scores

1. Woodbridge, 22; 2. Newport Harbor, 45; 3. Laguna Hills, 83; 4. Aliso

Niguel, 110; 5. Irvine, 126.

Individuals

1. Am. Steen (NH), 17:20; 2. Scott (W), 17:39; 3. Kanin (W), 17:49; 4.

Berglas (W), 17:51; 5. Mechkor (NH), 17:58; 6. Bellotti (W), 18:00; 7.

Kredel (W), 18:18; 8. Stephens (W), 18:20; 9. Cox (LH), 18:24; 10. Warino

(AN), 18:33. Others: 11. Rinek (NH), 18:45; 12. Friedman (NH), 18:58; 16.

St. Andre (NH), 19:28; 19. As. Steen (NH), 19:55; 21. Foss (NH), 20:05.