Burroughs cross-country shines among locals at Mt. SAC Invitational

While the Burroughs High cross-country program was joined by Burbank, Crescenta Valley and Glendale at Saturday’s second day of the 68th annual Mt. San Antonio College Invitational, no one enjoyed as great a day as did the Indians.

The Burroughs boys finished third in the difficult Division I and II team sweepstakes, while sophomore Emily Virtue continued her outstanding season by taking bronze in a loaded individual sweepstakes race.

PHOTOS: Local cross country runners compete in 68th annual Mt. SAC Invitational

Maybe no area team continues to show progress and growth more this season than does the Burroughs boys.

On Sept. 24, defending Pacific League champion Burroughs finished a disappointing third in the first league meet this season at Arcadia County Park.

Burroughs recovered to win the next league meet at Crescenta Valley Park on Oct. 15.

The squad further showed its development by placing third in Saturday’s Division I and II team sweepstakes with 160 points in a race won by Great Oak (40 points).

“What’s changed for us is our confidence,” Burroughs sophomore Alexander Hirsch said. “After that second league meet, we knew we’re definitely a strong team. I mean, we graduated some great runners from last year and it took us a while to find ourselves.”

Hirsch led by example, taking fourth in 14 minutes, 46 seconds and trailed Arcadia’s Phillip Rocha, who won in 14:24 and who was a second off the course record.

Hirsch’s mark was also a second behind the area-best time of 14:45 from Flintridge Prep’s Jack Van Scoter, who ran on Friday. However, Hirsch easily blasted his previous best course time of 15:26, set when Burroughs captured the CIF Southern Section Division I championship on Nov. 22.

Seniors Justin Villagran (17th, 15:28) and Andrew Barrondo (18th, 15:28) followed for Burroughs, while Timothy Wells (22nd, 15:31) and Manne Green (56th, 16:13) rounded out the scoring.

Pacific League rival Crescenta Valley also competed alongside Burroughs and took seventh with 254 points.

Sophomore Colin Fitzgerald was his team’s top placer, taking 13th in 15:24.

“It’s wasn’t an individual thing today, we were running together as a team,” Fitzgerald said. “These are all steps for us on the road to state, I guess. This is about experience.”

Seniors Philip Thomas (16th, 15:27) and Armin Cardenas-Nuno (27th, 15:40) also ran in the top 50 for the Falcons

Perhaps the exploits of Virtue should no longer be looked upon with doubt, but with wonderment.

The sophomore was the top underclassman in the Division I and II individual sweepstakes in taking third in 17:21.

Virtue was fifth at the midway point, right ahead of Burbank’s Candela Fernandez, but passed two runners on the grueling hills and caught Clovis’ Mikayla Sodersten with about 200 meters to go.

Virtue passed up the second-place Sodersten with about 100 meters left, but Sodersten kicked on the final ascent to the finish line and took second in 17:20.

“It was a really hard last 100, 150 meters,” Virtue said. “I was really dead from the hills and even the downhill wasn’t helping that much. On the last few steps, I just tried to pass her on the hill, but she was better.”

As a team, Burroughs tied Walnut with 199 points, but was awarded fourth place thanks to sixth runner Jailene Diaz (49th, 21:21) beating out Walnut’s Kaitlyn Fujii (56th, 21:52).

Burroughs’ remaining squad consisted of Andrea Duran (28th 19:38), Lakely Nellis (34th, 20:10), Sapphire Sandoval (35th, 20:17) and Eileen Eckles (36th, 20:23).

Fernandez was strong again in taking sixth (17:40) for the sixth-place Bulldogs, who tallied 260 points.

“This is my first race on this course this year,” Fernandez said. “Typically with these sorts of races, we go into with some sort of game plan. This time my coach just told me to ‘Go out and just do what Candela Fernandez does’ and that’s what I tried to do.”

Fernandez was one of three Bulldogs to place in the top 50 with Caroline Adams (14th, 18:19) and Adrienne Coronel (48th, 21:12) also making the cut.

In other action, the Burbank boys earned fifth with 205 points in the Division I second green race in a competition won by Peninsula (90 points).

Senior Adam Navar was the top Bulldog and placed sixth in 16:17. Navar was joined in the top 50 by teammates Elijah Parrott (17th, 16:39) and Angel Flores (29th, 17:04).

Crescenta Valley’s girls competed with individuals from Glendale in the Division I red race and finished ninth with 247 points, a good distance behind winner Los Alamitos (68).

The Falcons boasted two top-50 athletes in seniors Grace McAuley (18th, 20:12) and Rebecca Mencia (36th, 20:54).

Amira Alhadeed was Glendale’s top individual and took 97th (24:03).

Glendale’s Paulo Vazquez was disappointed with his effort, a 14th-place finish (16:35) in the Division I first green race for the Nitros, who took 17th with 448 points. Huntington Beach won the competition with 52 points.

“The hills got to me a lot, so I lost it there,” said Vazquez, who was eighth midway through the race. “Even on the downhills, I need to do a lot of work. I wanted to do a lot better than this, but Mt. SAC is always tough.”