Time to state a case

Steve Virgen

When the girls cross country season started, Corona del Mar High was

ranked No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section Division II poll.

CdM was known as a young team that would gain experience this

year. But then last week the Sea Kings went hard after the CIF title

and finished second.

Now they are ranked No. 8 in Division II in today’s CIF State

championships, and the Sea Kings are hoping to duplicate last week’s

efforts.

The CdM girls, led by sophomore Annie St. Geme, will compete at

10:40 a.m., when Costa Mesa sophomore Jasmin Day, who finished fifth

in the CIF Southern Section finals last week, will also race at

Woodward Park in Fresno. The Newport Harbor girls, which finished

third last week in Division II, will be running at 9:05 a.m.

Sumner’s squad will be making its 17th straight appearance at the

CIF State championships, while it will be the first for the Sailors

since 2000, and Day will be making her debut, as it is her first year

in cross country.

“One more week on the medal stand, that’s what we’re shooting

for,” CdM Coach Bill Sumner said. “I think they can do it. It won’t

be easy but I think we can do it.”

Sumner said he hopes to see his squad finish among the top three

in the state for Division II. Miramonte, Maria Carrillo and

Campolindo, three Northern California schools, are ranked 1-3,

respectively and Santa Margarita, the Southern Section champion, is

the highest ranked school from its section at No. 6.

CdM’s top five runners were ahead of Santa Margarita for most of

the race, a little more than two miles, last week at Mt. San Antonio

College, but the Eagles gained the advantage, especially in the final

400 meters, Sumner said. St Geme, the Pacific Coast League individual

champion, led the Sea Kings with a second-place finish in 18:15, a

personal record. She has gained a personal-best time in competition

in each of the past six weeks.

“Annie has come a long way,” Sumner said. “I think she has a shot

to be in the top 10 in the state.”

Hilary May, a freshman, is also a top runner for the Sea Kings,

who also include juniors Devon Ahearn and Ahlia Kattan, as well as

freshman Christie St. Geme and senior Taryn Kawata. Senior Sara

Claster also competes for CdM, and junior Melissa Swigert, who ran at

the state meet last year, was bothered by pain in her knee and did

not compete at the CIF Southern Section finals last week.

Aside from soreness, Day is ready to perform at her best in her

first state appearance. Day, coached by Joe Busi, has been a bit sore

because she has been juggling training for cross country and playing

soccer. She plays for the Newport Beach Slammers under-17 club, and

next week she will get back with the Costa Mesa squad, which won a

share of the CIF Southern Section Division III title last year.

Last week at Mt. SAC, Day finished fifth in 18:26, a personal

record. After the meet she played in a soccer game and played in two

more games Sunday, helping lead the Slammers to a title in the

Premier League Cup in San Juan Capistrano.

However, today, all of Day’s attention will be on running.

“I just want to run my best,” said Day, who has shown remarkable

improvement in her first season in cross country. “I have gotten a

lot better since the beginning of the season. [I credit] just doing

all the workouts, working hard and just wanting to win. I wanted to

make it far.”

The Newport Harbor girls have made it far, to the season-ending

CIF State championships, and in thrilling fashion. Last week, the

Sailors surprised many with a third-place finish in Division II,

finishing one spot ahead of Woodbridge, the Sea View League champion.

Woodbridge is ranked No. 5 in Division II of the state poll, while

Newport is not slated in the top 10. Are the Sailors expecting to

shock the skeptics again?

“Our goal is just to do the best we can,” Newport Coach Eric Tweit

said. “We’re excited to be going.”

Tweit said the Sailors’ performance last week was the best-ever as

each runner fulfilled their potential.

“It’s kind of like hitting the lottery; all of the numbers hit at

the right time,” Tweit said.

Senior Lauren Paul, who has been battling a foot injury, leads

Newport. She finished 12th in 18:26 last week. Junior Courtney

Marshall, who will be competing in her fourth meet of the season

since coming back from hip injuries earlier in the season, also

contributes for the Sailors, as does sophomore Whitney Blue, who is

in her first varsity season. Freshmen Lauren Maddox, Taylor Bryson

and Lily Dierkes, along with junior Caitlin Mai will also be

competing for the first time at the state meet in Fresno.