Norton, Vega shine at Inland Empire Challenge

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If you haven’t read by now, Steve Norton of La Sierra set a course record Saturday en route to winning the boys’ sweepstakes cross-country race at the Inland Empire Challenge at Guasti Regional Park in Ontario.

The Murrieta Valley boys and Redlands girls, each ranked third in state, won team titles, and Chaparral sophomore Sierra Vega continued her surprising improvement.

Norton completed the three-mile course in 14 minutes 43 seconds, a time many would like to achieve on a Friday afternoon on the 91.

Vega finished in 17:15. According to this three-week old story, Vega was too intimidated to train with the cross-country team the summer before her freshman season, but now she’s the best in the Inland Empire.

Her story is strinkingly similar to some other top runners who didn’t discover their talent until high school. Christine Babcock of Woodbridge and Stephanie Felix of La Mirada are perfect examples.

- Dan Arritt