THE TIMES ALL-COUNTY TEAMS : GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY : This Time It’s Kathy Who Wins

To most people, Kathy and Shannen Karpel are viewed as a single entry when they run cross-country for Ocean View High School.

Yeah, the Karpel twins. They finished first again. I mean Kathy won this time. Or was it Shannen? OK, the Karpels won again.

Call it a nightmare for college coaches. Often, they want to congratulate one of the Karpels, but most don’t know which girl won. Even people who have known the twins for years have difficulty telling them apart.

It is somehow fitting that the Karpels’ results in cross-country are almost as indistinguishable as they are.

Beth Chilcott, the Ocean View coach, can’t say which girl is the better runner.

“Half of the time Shannen won the race,” Chilcott said. “But at the end Kathy was winning. And their times were so close. I would never say that one is better than the other.”

However, on the basis of her performance at the end of the season, Kathy Karpel is The Times’ girls’ cross-country Athlete of the Year.

“Well, she beat me most of the time in track last year,” Kathy said. “I guess it’s my turn now.”

Kathy had the best time among Orange County runners at the Southern Section championship at Mt. San Antonio College. She was 12th in the 4-A division in 18:49; Shannen was 17th in 18:56. In the preliminaries, Kathy beat Shannen by two seconds.

At the Orange County championships, the Karpels finished with the same time, but Kathy was awarded the victory. For most of the season, the Karpels crossed the finish line together.

The emergence of the Karpels helped Ocean View finish first at the Orange County championships and fifth in 4-A meet. Their success was a surprise to most cross-country observers.

“What they did was very unique,” Chilcott said. “I think they have exceeded their expectations and they definitely exceeded mine.”

The Karpels often bettered their times by at least three minutes from last year. The first time Kathy ran the course at Mt. SAC her time was 23:30. Her best performance at Mt. SAC (18:49) came during the Southern Section final.

FIRST TEAM

Kathy Karpel Ocean View Senior Shannen Karpel Ocean View Senior Kirsten Quigley Dana Hills Junior Julie Cooper El Dorado Senior Beth Rosipajlia El Dorado Senior Kathy Cannon La Quinta Junior Sita Jones La Habra Junior

SECOND TEAM

Kim Robinson Newport Harbor Fresh. Leslie Cashion Corona del Mar Junior Kelli Lewis Dana Hills Senior Lisa Eck Dana Hills Senior Cathi Peck Woodbridge Fresh. Megan Barnett Laguna Beach Senior Maryanne Mejia La Quinta Senior.