Fallbrook’s Glusac Captures Sweepstakes Win at Mt. SAC

The final four races of the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational were canceled by the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. because of extreme heat, but the department couldn’t cancel Fallbrook High’s Milena Glusac, who left a vapor trail that nearly extinguished the girls’ three-mile course record.

Glusac, only a junior and the San Diego Section’s two-time defending champion, won the girls’ individual sweepstakes race in 17 minutes, 18 seconds, two seconds off the course-record 17:16 held by Agoura’s Deena Drossin and Kirsten O’Hara of Palos Verdes.

Carrie Garritson of Sunny Hills finished a distant second, 18:05.

It was the first time in six meets this season that Glusac failed to set a course record.

Her teammate, Melanie Hand, was 11th overall in 19:49 as Fallbrook finished fifth in the individual sweepstakes race with 193 points. Upland won with 127.

Glusac wasn’t the only winner.

The state’s top-ranked Divison II boys’ team, San Pasqual, had four runners in the top 10 and got a winning effort from Brian Keim, who finished in 15:25, two seconds faster than Hilltop’s Eric Ricketts. San Pasqual’s Nazario Romero was fourth (15:47), Devin O’Neill sixth (16:11) and Eric Engel eighth (16:16) as San Pasqual won the race with 57 points. La Habra was second with 110.

Grossmont’s Jason Kayne won his Division II race in 16:05.

In the girls’ team sweepstakes race, Mt. Carmel took fourth place with 159 points. Agoura won its third consecutive sweepstakes title with 70 points..

San Pasqual also won its Division II girls’ race as three runners cracked the top 10: Melissa Keim took first place in 18:36, followed by Deanna Hadley in 18:55. Teammate Erin Blunt was seventh in 19:45. San Pasqual’s 46 points beat El Modena (98) and La Jolla (119).

University City won its girls’ race, while El Capitan took second place and Mission Bay took third in their races.

In other boys’ races, El Capitan and La Jolla were winners.