CROSS-COUNTRY : Agoura’s Drossin Ties Course Mark

Deena Drossin of Agoura High tied a course record in winning the girls’ team sweepstakes race at the Mt. San Antonio College Cross-Country Invitational in Walnut.

Drossin, a senior, finished the three-mile course in 17 minutes 16 seconds, equaling the girls’ course record set by Kirsten O’Hara of Palos Verdes in 1983. Veronica Barajas of Channel Islands was second in 18:02.

Agoura won the girls’ team sweepstakes with 61 points. San Diego Mt. Carmel finished second with 91 points.

Louie Quintana of Arroyo Grande, one of the nation’s top high school cross-country runners, won the boys’ team sweepstakes race in a personal best at Mt. SAC of 14:40, making him the fifth-fastest runner ever at Mt. SAC. David Hartmann of Canyon Country Canyon finished second in 14:51.

Madera of the Central Section won the boys’ team sweepstakes with 96 points and Newhall Hart was second with 161. Arroyo Grande finished fifth with 192.

The Mt. SAC Invitational is the largest cross-country meet in the West, with more than 300 high schools and 7,000 runners competing Saturday.

Neither Drossin nor Quintana has been defeated this season. Drossin, 17, is the defending state Division I and Southern Section Division 2-A champion. Quintana, 17, finished second at both the state Division I and Southern Section 2-A finals last year.

Drossin has run the hilly Mt. SAC course many times during her high school career, but her time Saturday was 18 seconds better than her previous personal best. She led from start to finish, widening her lead over Barajas by 30 seconds during the second mile of the race.

After the race, Drossin was told she had been timed in 17:18. She said she was disappointed because she wanted to break the record.

“My goal coming in here today was to set the record,” Drossin said. “I just wanted to go out and run the best race I ever have. I’m happy with my performance. I felt good the whole way. It would have been nice to have been pushed at the end, but I still did OK.”

Quintana also led the entire race, but he was pushed by Hartmann, who trailed by 12 seconds after the first mile and 15 seconds after the second mile. He made up time on the last half-mile of the race.

“I really had to turn the jets on coming over that last hill,” Quintana said. “I knew David was going to challenge me, but I didn’t expect this much of a challenge. I beat him by 19 seconds earlier this season, so he closed some ground today.”

James Menon of San Luis Obispo won the boys’ individual sweepstakes in 15:28, and Jeanine Rothman of Westlake won the girls’ individual sweepstakes in 17:25 to become the third-fastest runner of all-time at Mt. SAC.