Outlook is promising for Laguna Beach girls’ teams

The girls’ cross country, tennis and golf teams at Laguna Beach High

opened their seasons this week.

The programs have several key returners and promising

underclassmen in their lineups.

A look at the teams:

Girls’ Cross Country

Laguna runners ran well at last Saturday’s Fastback Shootout at

Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

Alex Crawley clocked a time of 12:04 to finish in third place in

the juniors race, her time a 38-second improvement over last year’s

race.

Also in the juniors race, Stephanie Pearson (14:03) bettered her

previous Fastback run by 12 seconds and finished 38th. Kady Tucker

(14:06) finished in 40th place and improved her time from last year

by 39 seconds.

Chanel Brooks ran a 14:02 in the sophomore race, a big 3:45

improvement from last year.

In the freshmen race, Melissa Lenker (14:02) was third, and Kelly

McCarter, in her first race, finished fifth.

Coach Earl Towner’s 2005 squad is a mix of seasoned veterans and a

talented freshmen.

His 2004 edition finished fourth in league and second at CIF, for

just the second time in school history -- the first coming in 1992.

Its seventh-place finish at state last November tied the 2003 team

for the second-best showing by a Laguna girls’ team in school

history.

Crawley, a junior, was all-Pacific Coast League, second at CIF and

10th in the State Division IV race.

Senior Jamie Hancock, juniors Pearson, Tucker and Avery Zoellner

and sophomores Brooks and Nikki Clark also return from 2004.

Hancock, Crawley and Zoellner will serve as team captains.

Laguna is ranked fourth in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV

poll and seventh in the State Division IV poll.

“With the new, talented freshmen, this year’s team has more depth

at the varsity level since I [started] coaching in 1988,” Towner

said. “Lenker and McCarter have already shown they are varsity

material and will continue to improve as the season progresses. There

are some more freshmen that could help out as well who have not raced

yet -- namely, Zoe Heath, Cassidy Robinson, Kendra Arnold.”

With the success the program has had in recent years, expectations

for the current team are high, Towner said.

“I’m expecting improvement from all team members concerning

personal records,” he said. “I feel that this team can do some

incredible things this season. With the addition of a great freshmen

group, it will add to the depth of our varsity team.

“At CIF, I expect to make the podium again, and at state, I hope

to improve on our seventh-place finish from last year’s team.”

Towner said that he hopes his team will make a trip north for the

upcoming Stanfords Invitational on Sept. 24. A return visit to Walnut

on Oct. 21 for the Mount SAC Invitational is another big event

scheduled.

The Breakers will run tomorrow in the Woodbridge Invitational.

Upcoming nonleague meets include the Bell-Jeff and Orange County

invitationals.

Laguna opens its Pacific Coast League slate Sept. 29 by hosting

Calvary Chapel and Corona del Mar.

“I tell my girls that these early invites and dual- or tri-meets

are preparatory races to improve their fitness for the important

races at the end of season,” Towner said. “Our key races are CIF

finals and of course, the state meet.”

Laguna teams have previously advanced to the state meet in 2004,

2003, 1994 and 1992, a year in which Laguna claimed its highest-ever

-- third-place -- state finish.

“This looks to be a promising season with many enthusiastic girls

working to make the varsity team,” Towner said.

Girls’ Tennis

Laguna Beach launched its 2005 season Tuesday with an 11-7 home

court victory over Sage Hill.

Coach Greg Weiss has a team loaded with talent this fall, the

makings for what could be a magical year.

“We look real solid from top to bottom,” Weiss said. “We are real

deep which, is really nice. It looks like a big year for us. I’m

really excited.”

And for good reason.

Several of his players, including a handful of seniors, have been

playing at the varsity level since their freshman year.

He has the reigning Pacific Coast League girls’ singles player of

the year in senior Claire Rietsch, who also won the award as a

freshman in 2002.

His top doubles team includes varsity veterans Katie Ochwat and

Kellie Ammerman, both seniors.

Senior Lorren Butterworth and junior Lauren Thigpen -- also

varsity veterans -- will play No. 2 doubles.

Gabby Robinson, Kristen Drury and Ali Hunter will rotate at No. 3

doubles.

A new addition to the squad is junior Lyndsay Kinstler, a transfer

from Cornelia Connelly High in Anaheim.

Kinstler, who played earlier this month at the U.S. Junior Tennis

Championships at Flushing, N.Y., did not play in Tuesday’s win over

Sage Hill. Weiss said, however, that she joined the Laguna lineup for

Wednesday’s match against Dana Hills, and that the junior will be one

of the top two singles forces for the Breakers this year.

Girls’ Golf

The Laguna Beach program is still riding the momentum it gathered

when city residents and vendors helped the program raise $15,000 in a

fundraising golf tournament held last May.

Coach Barbara Williams, in her second year at the helm, has seven

returners -- seniors Hannah Thames, Aisha Hakim and Jessica Heitel,

juniors Sasha Speare and Natalie Fraire, and sophomores Shannon

Sweeney and Grace Stewart.

Last year, Speare advanced to the Pacific Coast League finals and

placed seventh.

Williams said the placement was the highest individual finish by a

Laguna golfer in the history of the school’s program.

An addition to the 2005 team is freshman standout Karina Shaw, who

was the Breakers’ top scorer in their season-opening loss to Aliso

Niguel.

Despite the loss, Laguna golfers raised their team and individual

scores significantly from the previous year, Williams said.

During the 2004-05 school year, Williams was selected as coach of

the year from a pool of 21 head coaches at Laguna Beach High.

“I expect the girls’ golf program to become a league contender

this year,” she said.

Laguna’s home golf course, the Aliso Viejo Golf Club, is closing

its doors to the Laguna Beach boys’ and girls’ programs at the

conclusion of the girls’ season in November, Williams said.

“Both the girls’ and boys’ golf team are desperately looking for a

facility to host their practice and match play for the future,” she

said.