Runners to Take a Tough Course of Action at Mt. SAC

With its body-battling three-mile course and intense, top-level competition, the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational cross-country meet offers challenges, both mental and physical, that few high school athletes ever forget.

The Switchbacks, Poop-Out, Reservoir Hill . . . the names of the hills linger long after the pain subsides.

Today and Saturday, Mt. SAC, the nation’s largest cross-country invitational, offers the largest field in its 39-year meet history: 7,000 athletes from 320 schools competing in 74 races. The starter’s gun will send off approximately 100 runners every seven minutes.

The boys’ team sweepstakes, scheduled for 9:43 a.m. Saturday, features 16 of the top-ranked teams in the Southern and San Diego sections.

El Monte Arroyo, top-ranked in Southern Section 3-A, is considered the slight favorite. Palos Verdes (top-ranked 4-A), Corona del Mar (second-ranked 4-A), Walnut (top-ranked 2-A) and Dana Hills (third-ranked 4-A) are the closest challengers.

Corona del Mar, which defeated Dana Hills by only 1.5 seconds at last week’s Orange County Championships, will, for the first time this season, face the Dolphins in man-to-man competition.

Both teams think they have the advantage on the Mt. SAC course.

“We’re a much better team on hilly courses,” said Mike Tansley, Dana Hills’ top runner. “We can probably beat them there because they’re better on flatter courses.”

Said Corona del Mar’s Paul Scott: “We should be a lot better on the hills. They (Dana Hills) are really better on flats.”

In the girls’ division, Palos Verdes, top-ranked in Southern Section 4-A, is favored to win the team sweepstakes division (10:47 a.m. Saturday), with Thousand Oaks, second-ranked 4-A, the leading challenger.

El Toro (seventh-ranked 4-A) and Irvine (ninth-ranked 4-A) are the top Orange County entrants.

Santa Ana Valley, top-ranked in Orange County and third-ranked in 4-A, and Villa Park, No. 4 in 4-A, will not compete, and instead will rest for the Southern Section preliminaries Nov. 7.

The girls’ individual sweepstakes (10:23 a.m. Saturday) features top individuals running without exceptionally strong teams.

Kira Jorgensen, a junior from Rancho Buena Vista in San Diego, is considered the favorite.

Jorgensen, the state defending 3,200-meters champion, is expected to be challenged by Tracey Williams of El Monte Mountain View, Brigid Freyne of Riverside Poly, freshman Deena Drossin of Agoura and Heather Scobie of Saugus.

Freshman Martha Pinto of Katella, who had the fastest girls’ time at the Orange County Championships Saturday, joins freshman Heather Killeen of Valencia as the leading individual prospects from Orange County.

Sophomore Bryan Dameworth of Agoura and Ian Alsen of Granada Hills are the top entrants in the boys’ individual sweepstakes. Others include Terrence Mahon, who had the fastest time at the Orange County Championships, Igor Daza of Valencia, Shanon Winkleman of Marina and Brett Shultz of Canyon.