State champ to CdM

Chris Yemma

The already-potent girls running program at Corona del Mar High added

another weapon to its arsenal.

Shelby Buckley, the CIF State Division III cross country champion

as a freshman at Rosary last fall, will join the program at CdM for

the upcoming school year, Sea Kings Coach Bill Sumner said Tuesday.

Buckley joins a team that finished fourth in the state in the same

division, and will complete a squad that could likely be favored to

win the crown this time around.

Sumner said he was informed of the news by CdM administrators

early last week.

“This team could go down in the record books,” said Sumner,

referring to both the cross country and track programs with the

addition of Buckley. “What do you do when you look at the Lakers in

their [most recent] prime, winning NBA titles, and then you add

another star player to that same team?”

The question will not be answered for a few months, but the

implications are heavy.

The CdM teams already possess senior-to-be Annie St. Geme, the

recently crowned 1,600-meter state champion. Accompanying St. Geme

are junior-to-be Hilary May -- the fastest freshman 1,600 runner in

the state a little more than a year ago -- and junior-to-be Sarah

Cummings, a CIF State 1,600 qualifier in May.

The CdM track and field team shared the CIF Southern Section

Division III crown with Muir in the spring, while the cross country

team won sole possession of the equivalent title in the fall, and

moved on to place fourth in the state.

Buckley’s presence will heavily strengthen both teams’ cause.

“Our goal is to be the best in the state this year, and now are

chances are even better,” Sumner said. “But there’s no such things as

locks. It’s going to boost us in the rankings but we still have to

run the races.”

Sumner, who said he spoke with Buckley’s mother and father last

week, and briefly with the runner, said the family is moving to

Newport Coast. The transfer was not because of CdM’s reputable

running program, Sumner said.

Buckley, who edged St. Geme by one second to grab the second spot

at the CIF Southern Section Division III cross country finals in

November, improved on her time one week later to claim the CIF

Division III state title.

Rosary’s team finished eighth in the state.

St. Geme finished 18 seconds behind Buckley for seventh at the

state meet.

“I was excited when I heard about it,” Sumner said. “I’ve got a

pretty good team and this just makes it better. But our goal hasn’t

changed, and that’s to be the best in the state.”

Buckley will also take some pressure off St. Geme during the track

and field season, Sumner said.

St. Geme, who competed in three events (800, 1,600 and 3,200) during nearly every meet, will probably not have to continue that

trend, Sumner said, which will reduce the the risk of an injury.

“Now [St. Geme] doesn’t have to triple,” he said. “This will be

good for both of those girls. [St. Geme] always steps up to the

challenge when needed, so I hope [Buckley] will be the same.”

Sumner said he thinks Buckley’s biggest contribution indeed will

come during the track and field season.

Muir, he added, will be the team that’s likely to lose out.

The two teams split the CIF Division III title in the spring,

while Muir won it outright in 2004 and CdM finished third, creating a

small rivalry.

“The most nervous team around here is John Muir,” Sumner joked. “I

don’t think anybody else is thinking about it.”