Costa Mesa girls’ cross-country advances to first state meet since 1997
The time that elapses after the starting gun until moments after a cross-country race concludes can give coaches anxiety, especially those whose teams are on the bubble in the postseason.
At the CIF Southern Section cross-country finals, teammates often congregate around a single cellphone as they await the results of the race. The live results update team positioning as teams’ fifth runner crosses the finish line.
“You’re nervous for the athletes,” Costa Mesa High coach Steve Moreno said. “You want them to go out and do the best they can do. I think it’s a natural thing. Once they go out, there’s no timeout.”
Mustangs senior Diane Molina had gone to the CIF State cross-country championships twice as an individual. She had high hopes that this season might be different, that she might have company for the trip up north to Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 30.
Costa Mesa gained confidence from earning the team title in the Orange Coast League finals. On Saturday, that confidence was validated, as the Mustangs placed seventh in the Division 4 girls’ race to claim the last team spot for state.
“There has only been one team that has gone to state, so it’s a really big thing when we go,” Molina said. “Our school is the underdog, and we’re kicked to the curb in sports.
“It’s a really big thing, not just for cross-country, but in general. Our school takes pride in that, and our community, since we’re a really small school. It’s pretty big and historical.”
The Costa Mesa girls will compete as a team at the state meet for the first time since 1997, when the Mustangs won the Division IV title 51-80 over Campolindo.
Also in the Division 4 girls’ race was Laguna Beach, which cruised to a runner-up showing behind top-10 finishes by Morgan Falkowski (fifth, 18:07.9), Jessie Rose (eighth, 18:11.9) and Nina Rogers (10th, 18:21.1).
“To put three in the top 10 individually was outstanding,” Laguna Beach girls’ coach Steve Lalim said. “To place second was just a testament to their hard work.
“These girls, they set a goal in Mammoth this summer that they wanted to get on the podium. They’ve been working for it all year long, and today, they made their dream come true.”
The Laguna Beach boys were attempting to defend their Division 4 crown, but they finished third as a team. Mateo Bianchi placed second with a time of 15:03.3.
“I have been really healthy this last month in terms of doing the little things right, stretching, rolling, icing at home, everything,” Bianchi said. “I’ve just been trying to stay healthy. I don’t want to get any injuries or anything. I was able to push all of the workouts hard and build up to a strong postseason.”
Sage Hill took fifth in the Division 5 girls’ race, to the delight of Lightning coach Nate Miller.
“I did some scouting, and I was pretty sure that four through 12 were going to be close,” Miller said. “I knew we were in the thick of things, but we could have been fourth, or we could have been 12th.
“Our girls just did a good job of having an awareness of where they were in the pack and what they needed to do. It took five of our girls all running their best, so that made it special.”
Corona del Mar’s girls placed 11th in the Division 3 final. Maya Buchwald led the Sea Kings, placing 16th in 18:42.8.
Fountain Valley also placed 11th in the Division 1 girls’ race.
None of the three locals to start the day as individual competitors – Newport Harbor senior Will DeBassio, Corona del Mar senior Nico Pence and Marina junior Marikay Schwab – were able to advance.
A maximum of five individuals from non-qualifying teams moved on to state in each race, provided that they finished in the top 20. The Ocean View boys placed 12th as a team in Division 4, but sophomore ace Diego Gonzalez (16th, 15:41.1) earned the last individual state berth available in the race.
Ocean View raced on the state championship course at the Clovis Invitational on Oct. 12, which should benefit the first-year cross-country runner.
“I think it will help,” Gonzalez said. “I’m going to know the course much better and places to move up on.”
BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY
CIF Southern Section finals
At Riverside City Cross-Country Course
3-mile course
Top seven teams advance to state
Q – denotes individual state qualifier
Division 1
Team Results
1. Great Oak 96; 2. Crescenta Valley 145; 3. Roosevelt 149; 4. Burbank 198; 5. Long Beach Poly 234; 6. La Serna 243; 7. Vista Murrieta 257
Individuals
1. Castellano (Upland) 14:48.4Q; 2. Waligorski (Redondo Union) 14:55.7Q; 3. Chavez (Roosevelt) 14:56.9; 4. Atkinson (Mira Costa) 14:57.8Q; 5. Smith (Quartz Hill) 14:59.9Q; 6. Worthy (Great Oak) 15:01.1; 7. Wilbur (Crescenta Valley) 15:03.4; 8. Candray (Great Oak) 15:04.4; 9. Rodriguez (Highland) 15:04.5Q; 10. McMahon-Staggs (Long Beach Poly) 15:07.4
Division 2
Team Results
1. Newbury Park 59; 2. Dana Hills 132; 3. Redlands East Valley 134; 4. Claremont 148; 5. Loyola 157; 6. Thousand Oaks 185; 7. West Torrance 282
Individuals
1. Young (Newbury Park) 13:54.1; 2. Aschbrenner (Newbury Park) 14:23.2; 3. Mireles (Thousand Oaks) 14:36.3; 4. Johnson (Dana Hills) 14:41.7; 5. Stone (Loyola) 14:43.0; 6. MacFarlane (Peninsula) 14:44.1Q; 7. Casillas (Redlands East Valley) 14:46.6; 8. Denker (Dana Hills) 14:48.6; 9. Sahlman (Newbury Park) 14:50.4; 10. Gerth (Simi Valley) 14:50.7Q; 14. Alcaraz (La Habra) 14:55.7Q; 15. Kobett (Westlake) 14:56.2Q; 16. Robertson (Capistrano Valley) 15:00.0Q
Division 3
Team Results
1. Agoura 94; 2. Royal 128; 3. Brea Olinda 180; 4. Moorpark 185; 5. Palos Verdes 206; 6. Arroyo 216; 7. St. John Bosco 236
Individuals
1. Murray (Moorpark) 14:49.7; 2. Givens (Pasadena) 15:02.5Q; 3. Sama (Arroyo) 15:07.1; 4. Bordelon (Agoura) 15:08.4; 5. Russell (Royal) 15:14.9; 6. Patel (Gahr) 15:17.5Q; 7. Fitzgerald (Royal) 15:18.9; 8. De Paz (Baldwin Park) 15:21.3Q; 9. Pearlman (Dos Pueblos) 15:22.6Q; 10. Smith (Pacifica) 15:24.2Q
Division 4
Team Results
1. Foothill Technology 99; 2. Cathedral 138; 3. Laguna Beach 156; 4. Hacienda Heights Wilson 201; 5. Oaks Christian 201; 6. El Segundo 217; 7. Barstow 223; 12. Ocean View 268
Individuals
1. Grover (JSerra) 14:53.9Q; 2. Bianchi (Laguna Beach) 15:03.3; 3. Villasenor (Foothill Technology) 15:03.7; 4. Sannes (Big Bear) 15:12.5Q; 5. Hill (Ridgecrest Burroughs) 15:12.6Q; 6. Zavala (Wilson/HH) 15:26.1; 7. Pick (Foothill Technology) 15:27.2; 8. Verfaillie (El Segundo) 15:29.2; 9. Martinez (Oaks Christian) 15:32.0; 10. Pfieffer (Wilson/HH) 15:34.4; 14. Ocegueda (Yucca Valley) 15:38.7Q; 16. Gonzalez (Ocean View) 15:41.1Q
Division 5
Team Results
1. Flintridge Prep 100; 2. St. Margaret’s 116; 3. Viewpoint 131; 4. Midland 155; 5. Thacher 191; 6. Pacifica Christian 205; 7. Crossroads 219
Individuals
1. Adelman (St. Margaret’s) 15:20.2; 2. Orosky (Viewpoint) 15:25.5; 3. W. Goddard (Midland) 15:27.4; 4. Matthew (Viewpoint) 15:33.4; 5. Z. Goddard (Midland) 15:35.4; 6. Atkeson (Thacher) 15:36.5; 7. Clark (Viewpoint) 15:42.8; 8. Vorster (Ontario Christian) 15:49.2Q; 9. Billock (Flintridge Prep) 15:50.4; 10. Klines (Pacifica Christian) 15:51.3; 12. Jones (Sierra Canyon) 15:55.0Q; 13. Brown (Heritage Christian) 15:59.0Q; 14. Woelfe (Webb) 16:01.0Q; 15. Sinclair (Linfield Christian) 16:06.8Q
GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY
CIF Southern Section finals
At Riverside City Cross-Country Course
3-mile course
Top seven teams advance to state
Q – denotes individual state qualifier
Division 1
Team Results
1. Great Oak 38; 2. Saugus 112; 3. Vista Murrieta 198; 4. San Clemente 209; 5. Tesoro 240; 6. Yucaipa 246; 7. Mira Costa 251
Individuals
1. Catsimanes (San Clemente) 17:21.4; 2. Frias (Mira Costa) 17:29.4; 3. Fredericks (Saugus) 17:33.1; 4. Von Scherr (La Quinta) 17:37.3Q; 5. Dang (Great Oak) 17:38.6; 6. Nex (Great Oak) 17:38.8; 7. Gaffney (Great Oak) 17:39.0; 8. Duarte (Saugus) 17:39.1; 9. Smith (Quartz Hill) 17:40.6Q; 10. Torza (Great Oak) 17:43.1; 11. Watts (Trabuco Hills) 17:44.7Q; 13. Munoz (Trabuco Hills) 17:45.2Q; 16. Kirsch (Valencia) 17:52.3Q
Division 2
Team Results
1. Newbury Park 65; 2. Claremont 116; 3. El Toro 139; 4. Serrano 150; 5. Canyon 152; 6. Simi Valley 174; 7. Ventura 213
Individuals
1. Browne (JW North) 16:53.7Q; 2. Rios (Colony) 17:02.8Q; 3. Locher (Ventura) 17:06.1; 4. Goeson (Serrano) 17:08.9; 5. Corsinita (Capistrano Valley) 17:10.3Q; 6. Walker (Simi Valley) 17:10.3; 7. Coles (Claremont) 17:16.3; 8. McDonnell (Newbury Park) 17:19.1; 9. Segura-Mora (Claremont) 17:21.1; 10. Lima (Rancho Verde) 17:22.0Q; 12. Markow (Dana Hills) 17:25.5Q
Division 3
Team Results
1. Palos Verdes 70; 2. Brea Olinda 84; 3. Yorba Linda 141; 4. Arroyo 149; 5. South Torrance 150; 6. Torrance 193; 7. Portola 227
Individuals
1. Scriven (Palos Verdes) 17:28.5; 2. Steman (Palos Verdes) 17:40.7; 3. Palicke (Yorba Linda) 17:41.7; 4. Chavez (Chino) 17:46.3Q; 5. Reeves (Esperanza) 17:46.4Q; 6. Douge (Brea Olinda) 17:54.9; 7. Zdanavage (Portola) 17:56.4; 8. Albert (South Torrance) 17:59.9; 9. Valenti (Brea Olinda) 18:01.7; 10. Saeger (Santa Margarita) 18:03.6Q; 11. Koppel (Granite Hills) 18:24.9Q; 12. McCorkle (Agoura) 18:25.0Q
Division 4
Team Results
1. Orange Lutheran 75; 2. Laguna Beach 136; 3. Covina 155; 4. Mayfield 159; 5. El Segundo 180; 6. Foothill Technology 191; 7. Costa Mesa 199; 17. Ocean View 421
Individuals
1. Suarez (Mayfield) 17:24.7; 2. Secreto (Foothill Technology) 17:28.0; 3. Gutierrez (Orange Lutheran) 17:47.9; 4. Molina (Costa Mesa) 17:50.9; 5. Falkowski (Laguna Beach) 18:07.9; 6. Morrow (South Pasadena) 18:09.1Q; 7. Vasquez (Barstow) 18:09.9Q; 8. Rose (Laguna Beach) 18:11.9; 9. Youngman (Yucca Valley) 18:13.1Q; 10. Rogers (Laguna Beach) 18:21.1; 14. Engels (JSerra) 18:26.0Q; 15. Matarese (La Canada) 18:30.4Q
Division 5
Team Results
1. St. Margaret’s 54; 2. Linfield Christian 116; 3. Cate 156; 4. Valley Christian 236; 5. Sage Hill 238; 6. Xavier Prep 243; 7. Village Christian 243
Individuals
1. Barnett (Village Christian) 17:45.9; 2. Blau (St. Margaret’s) 18:05.6; 3. Burns (Linfield Christian) 18:28.0; 4. Scott (Viewpoint) 18:39.3Q; 5. Miller (Webb) 18:49.9Q; 6. Disorbo (Cate) 18:51.0; 7. Miller (Sage Hill) 18:54.1; 8. Diaz (Sierra Canyon) 18:59.0Q; 9. May (Xavier Prep) 19:20.0; 10. Checcone (Pasadena Poly) 19:22.6Q; 11. Babbitt (Mary Star of the Sea) 19:26.0Q
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