Locals going national

Runners from Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor are in action today, seeking to extend their season another week.The CIF state cross country championships were last weekend, but that doesn’t mean the cross country season is over for Corona del Mar or Newport Harbor.

The two Back Bay high schools will be in action today, vying for regional and national championships. The Sea Kings will be in Portland, Ore., for the Nike Team Nationals, while Sailors’ runners Whitney Blue and Taylor Bryson are headed to Mount San Antonio College for the Footlocker West Regional.

The Footlocker West Regional girls’ race begins at 10:30 a.m. The Nike Team Nationals girls’ race begins at 11:30 a.m.

Corona del Mar’s girls are coming off a state championship performance last weekend at Fresno’s Woodward Park. The Sea Kings won the Division III title, with a division state finals record time of 91:57. Annie St. Geme claimed the individual crown, running a 17:20 over the 5,000-meter course for the second-fastest time of the day.

There is plenty of depth behind St. Geme with sophomore Shelby Buckley, junior Sarah Cummings, sophomore Alison Damon and junior Nicole Slykhous.

Ranked No. 1 in the nation earlier this season, the Sea Kings will face a tough group of teams that include 2004 Nike Team Nationals champion Saratoga Springs (N.Y.).

Besides the team competition, there is more incentive for St. Geme at the Nike Team Nationals. The top two individuals qualify for the Footlocker National Championships next Saturday in San Diego. The Stanford-bound senior is regarded as one of the favorites to move on from the Portland race.

Newport Harbor’s Blue and Bryson will attempt to qualify for the Footlocker National Championships through the regional race. The two helped the Sailors finish second in the state Division II championships.

Blue finished sixth at the state championships and will face off against Serrano’s Kauren Tarver for the third consecutive week. Tarver won the individual state title and is considered a potential national championships qualifier.

Bryson, a junior, placed 28th at the state championships.20051203iq877fknMARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Harbor’s Whitney Blue is one of two area runners entered in today’s Footlocker West Regional at Mount SAC in Walnut.