Cross-Country Championships : Rancho Santiago, OCC Win Team Titles

Jim Sorensen of Rancho Santiago College and Tracy Wright of Orange Coast led their teams to victory Friday in the Orange Empire Conference cross-country championships at Irvine Park in Orange.

Rancho Santiago placed five runners in the top 10 to win the men’s division with 28 points. Orange Coast finished second with 47, and Saddleback was third (70).

In the women’s division, Orange Coast placed five in the top six to win with 19 points, giving the Pirates their sixth conference championship in the last eight years. Saddleback was second (44) and Rancho Santiago was third (96).

Sorensen, a former standout at Villa Park High, finished the four-mile race in 19 minutes 52 seconds, a two-second improvement over his 19:54 clocking on the Irvine Park course last month.

Sorensen, a sophomore, took the lead from the start, passing the one-mile mark in 4:42. He held the lead until the 2 1/2-mile mark, where he was passed on a hill by teammate Art Garza and Charlie Yu of Orange Coast.

Sorensen caught the two, then, with Garza dropping behind, continued to press the pace with Yu on his side.

With a mile to go, Yu gained a 30-yard lead, but Sorensen caught and passed him with 800 yards remaining.

“I didn’t think the race would be that fast,” Sorensen said. “I guess it was my fault, though. I’m the one who took it out. But (Yu) really ran a great race, and that helped.’

Yu finished second in 20:02, and Garza was third (20:17). Rancho Santiago was helped by Dave Moore (seventh, 20:33); Carlos Nava (eighth, 20:36), and Gilbert Vasquez (ninth, 20:39).

In the women’s 5,000-meter race, Wright, who finished eighth last year, cruised to an easy victory in 18:29, which was 53 seconds faster than the second-place finisher, Maura Daly of Saddleback.

Wright, a former standout at Irvine High, had a 150-yard lead by the two-mile mark.

“It felt pretty easy,” said Wright, the defending state champion in the 1,500 meters. “It was kind of fun.”

The Pirates were helped by Loi Curl (third, 19:30); Debbie Lies (fourth, 19:40); DeLinda Patino (fifth, 19:59), and Deanna Feser (sixth, 20:03).

The Orange Coast men’s and women’s teams and the Rancho Santiago men’s team advance to the Southern California Championships Nov. 13 at Irvine Park. Because only four full women’s teams competed Friday, falling short of the five required by a state rule, Saddleback’s women must petition to get into the championships.