Artz, St. Geme win PCL titles

Steve Virgen

Senior Kevin Artz and sophomore Annie St. Geme showed what cross

country should be all about at the Pacific Coast League finals at

Irvine Regional Park Thursday.

Artz and St. Geme ran their best races of the season to earn PCL

individual titles. St. Geme, along with freshman Hillary May’s

second-place finish and senior Taryn Kawata’s eighth-place

contribution, led the Sea Kings to the PCL team championship.

CdM has won six league titles in a row, including five straight in

the PCL. The Sea King boys finished second to Laguna Beach, which

scored 35 points to CdM’s 46.

CdM Coach Bill Sumner’s girls team earned 32 points, while Tesoro

finished second with 51. There were five of the seven girls who

completed personal-best performances, including May, Kawata, Devon

Ahearn and Annie’s younger sister, Christine St. Geme.

After overcoming a groin injury early in the season, which caused

her to miss the first month of training, Annie St. Geme finished in

17:47 to win her first league title in cross country. Last year, she

was plagued by a hip injury throughout the season and never gained

her true form.

But, St. Geme has avoided injuries as of late and quickly turned

around her season.

“Last year was a whole different ballgame,” she said. “I injured

my hip last year, but with this injury this year I learned how to

track it a lot better. I knew how to work through it. I don’t feel

[the pain] at all anymore.”

St. Geme maintained a steady pace through the first mile, then

picked up speed to overtake the lead and hold it over the final two

miles. May, who finished in 18:20, also ran a smart race, and was one

of seven CdM runners who finished in the top 16.

Kawata finished in 18:50, while junior Melissa Swigert (19:04),

Ahearn (19:11), junior Ahlia Kattan (19:15) and Christine St. Geme

(19:25) followed, finishing, 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th, respectively.

While the CdM girls were undefeated in the PCL, the Sea King boys

team were in a three-way tie with Laguna Beach and Northwood, heading

into Thursday’s finals.

Artz won, while Jack Turner, who finished sixth (16:13), and

sophomore Ryan Guthrie, who finished 10th (16:15), also finished with

all-league honors, but the Breakers placed four runners in the top

nine and gained the narrow victory over the Sea Kings.

“You have to hand it to Laguna Beach,” Sumner said. “They ran

well.”

Corona’s bright spot turned out to be Artz, who pumped his fist

and shouted, “Yes,” as he crossed the finish line in 15:26.

“It felt incredible,” Artz said.

In addition to Artz, CdM also received solid performances from

senior Brandon Borcoman (14th in 16:31), sophomore Kenneth Wong (15th

in 16:31), sophomore Garrett Prechel (19th in 16:43) and junior

Jeritt Thayer (21st in 16:52), who was a bit under the weather.

Guthrie, Wong and Prechel earned personal records.

Both CdM teams advance to the CIF Southern Section Division III

preliminaries Nov. 15 at Mt. San Antonio College. The CdM girls are

ranked No. 2 in the CIF Division III poll.