Alsen to Test Dameworth in Fresno Meet

Ian Alsen of Granada Hills High watched in anguish as Bryan Dameworth of Agoura won the boys Division I title at the inaugural state high school cross-country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno last Saturday.

Alsen, who did not run in the state meet because the City Section elected not to compete, gets a chance to test himself against Dameworth and many of the nation’s top high school distance runners in the Kinney West regionals at Woodward Park today.

The rest of Alsen’s Granada Hills teammates, however, are scheduled to run in the City Section preliminaries at Pierce College. Alsen elected to compete in the Kinney meet because he feels competing against some of the top runners in the nation will give him the exposure necessary to gain a college scholarship.

Christopher Schurz of Westwood High in Scottsdale, Ariz., who placed sixth in the Kinney national championships last year, is a slight favorite over Dameworth, Alsen, David Scudamore of Palos Verdes and Goshu Tadese of Crawford High in San Diego.

Mike Glaze of Notre Dame and Mike Esparza of Newbury Park also could place in the top 10.

The girls race is expected to be a battle among California’s state champions, freshman Deena Drossin (Division I) of Agoura, junior Kira Jorgensen (Division II) of Rancho Buena Vista in San Diego and senior Katy McCandless (Division III) of Castilleja in Portola Valley.

The top eight finishers advance to the nationals next Saturday in San Diego. Alsen, however, might not run if he qualifies because the City championships will be held the same day.

“If I think I have a good chance at nationals, I might run,” Alsen said. “Right now, I’m just worrying about this weekend.”

Granada Hills, even without Alsen at the preliminaries, should qualify easily for the City finals.