STATE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS : Santa Ana Gets a Shot at Thousand Oaks

The State cross-country championships Saturday at Woodward Park will feature some of the nation’s top teams and runners.

The Division I boys’ race, which starts at 9 a.m., will feature Orange County’s top-ranked team, Santa Ana, getting another shot at Thousand Oaks, ranked among the nation’s top five by Harrier Magazine. The Saints finished second to Thousand Oaks in the Southern Section finals last Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College. Santa Ana, led by seniors Frederico Duran, Juan Medrano and Juan Zaragoza, is ranked 17th nationally.

County champion Jaime Martinez, a senior at Orange High who finished fourth in the section finals, and Capistrano Valley junior Adalberto Sanchez (eighth) will compete in the Division I race as individual qualifiers.

The Katella boys’ team, section Division II champion, figures to battle Sacramento Jesuit, ranked No. 20 nationally, and Mission Bay, the San Diego Section champion, in the Division II race, which starts at 10:15 a.m.

Villa Park, the Century league runner-up, also will compete in Division II. Villa Park, which finished fourth in the section finals, is led by Jeremy Mordock and Phil Sitner.

Santa Margarita, the section Division III boys’ champion, and Estancia are among the contenders in the Division III race at 11:40 a.m. Santa Margarita is led by senior Matt Huss, while senior Johann Appell leads Estancia, the section runner-up. Newport Harbor senior Trent Bryson, the Division III-AA individual champion, is the lone qualifier here after finishing fourth in the section finals.

The girls’ Division I race, which begins at 9:35 a.m., features a resurging Irvine team that earned the final qualifying spot for the State finals. Coach Randy Rossi’s team is led by junior Jessica Corbin, the Sea View League individual champion.

A trio of Esperanza juniors--Carrie Caulkins (sixth in the section finals), Courtney Pugmire (ninth) and Jenny Titus (11th)--along with Santa Ana Valley’s Eliaser Estrada (seventh) will compete as Division I individual qualifiers.

County teams swept all four qualifying places in Division II. Edison, the Division II section champions, again will battle Canyon, Ocean View and El Modena in the 10:50 a.m. race. The Chargers, top-ranked in the county, are led by junior Jennifer Formosa. Canyon senior Kim Nelson was the Division II runner-up last year.

Buena Park senior Carrie Garritson, the Division III champion in 1990 and Division II runner-up in 1991, qualified as the section Division III champion. She joins Laguna Hills’ senior Heather McGlone (third in section finals) and San Clemente’s Nancy Dollar (fourth) as Division II individual qualifiers.

Corona del Mar, the Sea View League girls’ champion, is favored to defend its Division III title in a 12:15 p.m. race. Juniors Dresden Howell, Tracy Clark and Brooke Meed lead the Sea Kings, the section Division III champions.

Newport Harbor and Santa Margarita, which finished second and third behind Corona del Mar at the section finals, also are in the Division III race.