Local runners heading north

Chris Yemma

Five individual runners from the Newport-Mesa area will be competing

in the CIF State cross country championships Saturday at Woodward

Park in Fresno, with Newport Harbor High girls No. 1 runner Whitney Blue a favorite to place in the top five in Division II.

The other four -- Costa Mesa’s Jasmine Day and Kyla Flores,

Estancia’s Ernie Castaneda and Sage Hill’s Katie McKeon -- total the

most runners in one year from the area in recent memory.

Day and Flores will be running in Division III with the Corona del

Mar girls team, Castaneda will also be in Division III and McKeon

will be in Division V.

Blue, who finished second overall in last Saturday’s CIF Southern

Section final at Mt. San Antonio College, will be facing stiff

competition from other runners -- including Serrano’s Kauren Tarver

who finished first at CIF. Blue will also be facing herself, though.

“She gets so dang excited before some races, she goes out too

fast,” Newport Harbor Coach Eric Tweit said. “And twice this year she

has thrown up 10 minutes before the race because she is so nervous.”

One of the times occurred at the Mt. SAC invitational Oct. 23,

where she placed fourth but said she psyched herself out beforehand.

Tweit said he thinks Blue should be able to finish in the top five

at the state meet, and even higher if she runs about 30 seconds

faster then her performance at the finals -- a time he said they both

think she’s capable of.

“Our goal is for her to run her best race possible,” Tweit said.

“We just need to get her a little more relaxed.”

Serrano’s Tarver will likely be ahead of Blue Saturday after

finishing first at the section final and breaking a freshman record.

Tarver finished in 17 minutes, six seconds, while Blue finished in

17:55 on the three-mile course.

Sage Hill will be sending a competitor to the state meet for the

first time in the school’s five-year history. It also marks the first

time Sage has had any athlete compete at the state level in any

sport.

McKeon, a freshman, finished fourth overall in the CIF Division V

final race last Saturday at Mt. SAC.

Her time of 19:19 was nearly 40 seconds faster than her

preliminary run the previous week on the same course.

Sage Coach Nate Miller said McKeon has a good chance to finish in

the top 15 at the state meet.

“It’s tough for me to know because it’s the first trip for both of

us,” he said. “But gauging from last week’s results, I wouldn’t be

surprised if she finished in the top 15 and maybe even higher.”

After a little bit of confusion as to whether Costa Mesa’s Kyla

Flores qualified for state, Mesa Coach Joe Busi said Wednesday it had

been cleared up.

Flores should have automatically qualified after her finals

performance last Saturday, but a CIF oversight caused her to not be

in the official lineup. Busi said he contacted CIF and she will be

running alongside teammate Day in Division III.

Day finished fifth at the final Saturday in 18:41 and Flores finished ninth in 18:52. Busi said both of them should be able to

finish in the top 10.

*

Estancia’s Castaneda finished ninth in 15:36 in the Division III

CIF finals race Saturday at Mt. SAC to qualify for state. The time

was a personal record for the junior runner.

Eagles’ Coach Charlie Appell said Castaneda has been improving all

season but could face talented runners in the state meet. Division

III in the Southern Section might not be as strong as it is in other

sections, Appell said after last Saturday’s race.