Running to success

Bryce Alderton

Another cross country season looms on the horizon and with it yet

another opportunity for the Newport Harbor boys cross country team to

continue their recent run at success with a sixth straight Sea View

League title in sight.

The Sailors have won the last five league titles, sharing the

honors last season with Woodbridge, and first-year Newport Harbor

boys cross country coach Nowell Kay thinks his Sailors and the

Warriors will be at the top by season’s end.

“I think we’re definitely capable of winning league again,” Kay

said.

Last season Woodbridge’s Michael Haddon beat out second-place Alec

Urtusuastegui (Newport Harbor) at league finals, but Urtusuastegui

returns as a senior on Kay’s squad this season, which gives the coach

added optimism.

“He was the best runner last year and he did a great job at league

finals,” Kay said.

Urtusuastegui ran the three-mile course at league finals in 15:34

while teammate Nick Miller, a junior this season, took third (15:34).

Newport Harbor finished 13th at the CIF Division II finals at Mt.

San Antonio College with Urtusuastegui taking 47th (16:24.8) as

Newport’s top runner and Miller finishing in 53rd (16:32.7).

Urtusuastegui and Miller return along with junior Juan Carlos Rios

and sophomore Nicholas St. Andre to anchor the top four spots with

the next three up for grabs, Kay said.

Runners that could challenge for the next three spots include

senior Richard Pohlmann, juniors Martin Bernard, Ben Meredith and

Taylor Sage, sophomores S.C. Maclaren and Tristan McNeil and freshmen

Kenny Rakestraw and Wes Urtusuastegui.

Even though Kay embarks on his first season as the Sailors’ head

coach, he worked alongside longtime boys coach Bim Berry for 10 years

and has coached track at the school for 17 years since he graduated

from Newport Harbor in 1985.

The runners know him and he knows the runners.

“Bim and I worked together really well, this (season) is just a

little more ‘my show,’” Kay said. “It’s familiar coming back and

maintaining continuity so (the runners) can pretty much know what to

expect since I coached them all as freshmen.”