PREP CROSS-COUNTRY : Newbury Park’s Wilson Is Second

Corey Ihmels of Williston, N.D., beat Newbury Park High’s Jeff Wilson by 15.1 seconds Saturday in the Kinney national cross-country championships, covering the 5,000-meter Balboa Park course in 15:03.6.

Brian Hesson of Elba, Ohio, was third in 15:21.9. Angel Martinez of San Gabriel (15:29.3) was fourth and Margarito Casillas of Glendale Hoover (15:30.6) fifth.

“I didn’t feel too much pressure,” a happy Wilson said. “Everybody thought that Wilson was gone (after finishing second in last week’s Western Regional). I was out on the course (Friday), and none of the TV people wanted to talk to me. I thought ‘This is cool.’ No one expects me to do anything.”

Milena Glusac of Fallbrook, the girls’ pre-race favorite, ran with leaders Liz Mueller of Waterford, Conn., and Amanda White of Cockeysville, Md., for the first mile but faded to eighth by two miles and finished 30th in the 32-runner field.

Mueller, winner of the Northeast Regional, won in 17:21, pulling away from White in the final 1,000 meters for a 23.3-second victory.