Sea Kings girls place third at Stanford Invitational

PALO ALTO — The season, like the team, is still young for the Corona del Mar High girls’ cross country team.

That’s why Coach Bill Sumner was pleased after the CdM girls took third place in Division III at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday.

The CdM boys were fourth in the 5K race.

For the girls, Corona del Mar senior Shelby Buckley finished second in Division III with her time of 18 minutes, 28 seconds. Only Kelsey Smith of South Tahoe was faster.

“She did a very good job,” Sumner said of Buckley in a phone interview. “She got within about 20 meters from [Smith], just couldn’t quite catch her.”

Senior teammate Alison Damon was fourth overall in 18:33. Laura Bilder was 19th in 19:18, Amanda Bastien was 37th in 19:56 and Marisa Cummings was 60th in 20:23. Sarah Keddington was 61st with her time of 20:23 and Taylor Hebb finished 75th, in 20:44.

“We’re really talented, but really inexperienced,” Sumner said. “People say we’re in a rebuilding year, but we’re really in a rebuilding month. Give me another three or four weeks and we’ll be in a good place.”

For the Sea Kings boys, senior Richard DeMarco was seventh in 16:02, followed closely by senior teammate Thomas Dialynas in 16:07.

John Leonard (16:28) was 20th, Sebastien Welch (17:05) was 46th and Ricky Valdez was 119th, in 18:03. Blaine Bolus rounded out the Corona del Mar finishers in 139th place, in 18:17.

Orange Lutheran won the Division III girls’ team title, while Oak Park was the boys’ winner.

CdM next competes in the Orange County Championships on Oct. 13.

— From staff reports