HIGH SCHOOL CROSS-COUNTRY : Thousand Oaks Exceeds Expectations, Wins Title

Brandon Del Campo thought he had it all figured.

But the Thousand Oaks High junior never imagined the ease with which the Lancers would run away with the boys’ team sweepstakes title at the Mt. San Antonio College cross-country invitational Saturday.

Del Campo finished fourth in 15 minutes 27 seconds over the hilly, three-mile course, and Thousand Oaks placed three runners among the top 15 to win the title with 98 points.

Madera (114) and Anaheim Katella (121) were second and third. Newhall Hart, the two-time State Division I champion that was expected to challenge the team time record, suffered its first loss in two seasons, placing fourth with 133 points.

“We thought it would come down to a tiebreaker (with Hart),” Del Campo said. “No one could really tell. All week, we were thinking if someone places here and someone places there, what we would have to do to win or displace their runners. We thought of everything.”

Del Campo, though, did not expect that sophomore Jeff Fischer (11th, 15:38) would place ahead of Hart’s No. 1 runner, Brett Strahan, who finished 13th in 15:52; and another sophomore, Kevin Marsden, would finish only three seconds behind Fischer.

“I’m kind of shocked,” Del Campo said.

Junior Chadd Aldrich (16:17) and senior Ryan Nugent (16:21) finished 32nd and 36th to round out the Thousand Oaks scoring. Ryan Wilson of Agoura led from the start to post the meet’s fastest time of 15:03. Eric Dunn of Arroyo Grande (15:21) and Jim Cera of Upland (15:26) were second and third.

Palos Verdes Peninsula High reaffirmed itself as the top team in the state in the girls’ sweepstakes race. Jamie Artzner and Molly Mehlberg placed sixth and ninth in 18:49 and 19:02 as Peninsula won with 90 points. Huntington Beach Edison, the state Division II champion, and Agoura were second and third with 102 and 108 points. It was the Peninsula’s second victory over Agoura this season.

Despite mud and bad footing from overnight rains, Milena Glusac of Fallbrook, the state Division I champion, was timed in 17:15, breaking the course record of 17:16 shared by Kirsten O’Hara of Palos Verdes (1983) and Deena Drossin (1990).