McKeon leads deep Sage pack

The Sage Hill School girls cross country team has something the other Newport-Mesa teams do not: an individual league champion.

Junior Katie McKeon is the breakout runner that all teams crave but few have.

Last year, McKeon, who is a starter on the basketball and softball teams, won the Academy League title by a 14-second margin. She then finished 13th and 28th in the Division V races at the CIF Southern Section and state meets, respectively.

McKeon, one of four returners from last season’s top five runners, helped the Lightning finish sixth at the section meet.

Kelsey Rose was the lone member of the top five who graduated.

“[McKeon] led our team to 13th place at state,” said Coach Nate Miller, entering his fifth season running the show. “We aspire to improve on that finish this year.”

McKeon will have to work herself back into shape after battling a case of mononucleosis for a portion of the summer.

“We’re excited to have her back,” Miller said.

The No. 2 runner figures to come from a trio of freshmen returning from last season’s top five. Cait Williamson is coming off a successful track season in which she finished seventh at the CIF Southern Section Division IV Finals in the 800 meters.

“She’s starting out as the No. 1” while McKeon comes back to form from the illness, Miller said. “We’re looking forward to seeing how hard she is going to work.”

Sophomores MacKenzie Muhonen and Aiyana Bobrownicki round out the top four.

“[Muhonen] is a good all-around athlete,” Miller said. “Those runners should be pretty strong for us.”

Competing for the fifth spot will be juniors Alison Ong and Sara Montazami who were No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, on the varsity team last season.

“For the girls, I’d say experience is a big factor,” Miller said. “We want to build on the success of last fall. A lot of girls are excited.”

Senior Kara Percival is making her return to the sport to add some depth. Percival ran cross country as a freshman before taking up tennis the past two seasons.

Freshmen Courtney Conlogue and Jackie Dion will also give the Lightning depth.

“We need a little more depth,” Miller said. “We have a lot of sophomores who will have to mature as runners. The girls are having a great summer and I anticipate they will be pretty strong.”

Even with a standout in McKeon, Miller is trying to focus his team on running as a pack.

“I’m a pretty big proponent of having the top five run together,” Miller said. “It depends on the race. A lot of meets we’ll run together. The top five should be within a minute of each other. We’ll have certain meets where that is the goal. And some meets will be more individual based.”

The Lightning practice around the high school, with the diverse landscape giving the team plenty of work.

“We’re anticipating working really hard the next couple of months,” Miller said. “We get a hill workout everyday, the first mile is always uphill.”

The season begins Sept. 9 at the Laguna Hills Invitational.

THE LIGHTNING

Katie McKeon Jr.

Cait Williamson So.

MacKenzie Muhonen So.

Aiyana Bobrownicki So.

Alison Ong Jr.

Sara Montazami Jr.

Kara Percival Sr.

Courtney Conlogue Fr.

Jackie Dion Fr.

Coach: Nate Miller

(fifth year)