Alsen Runs 5th at Mt. SAC With Mixed Emotions

Ian Alsen of Granada Hills High was pleased and frustrated with his fifth-place finish Saturday in the boys individual sweepstakes race of the Mt. San Antonio College Cross-Country Invitational.

Alsen was pleased because his 15:30 effort over the tough, three-mile course had beaten some of the premier cross-country runners in the Southland, but frustrated because he felt he could have run faster.

“Just after two miles, I started to tighten up,” Alsen said. “I didn’t get a full warm-up and it cost me at the end.”

Nevertheless, he still finished impressively. Among those left in his wake were Raul Serratos of Moreno Valley, the third-place finisher in the 1985 Southern Section 3-A championships, and Tony Williams of Hueneme, the recently crowned Ventura County champion.

More than 6,000 runners from 300 high schools competed in the meet.

Said Alsen: “I’m pleased because I ran well against a great field,” he said. Then almost wistfully: “But I could have run better.”