1994 PREP PREVIEW / Girls’ Cross-Country : Six Teams to Watch : Irvine

Coach: Randy Rossi (14th year).

1993: CIF State Division I champions; third in the Sea View League; eighth at the Orange County Championships.

Key returners: Jessica Corbin, Jr.; Holly Gisch, Sr.; Erin Livermore, Jr.; Tanya Lyon, Sr.; Stacey McMullen, So.; Christina Meyer, So.

Key newcomers: Heather Becker, Jr.; Rachel Newhouse, Jr.; Anna-Kaisa Niemi, Sr.

Outlook: Can Irvine carry on the fairy tale that it began at the end of last season? The Vaqueros won the State Division I (large schools) title after finishing a dismal eighth at the Orange County Championships just a month earlier. Rossi’s troops are led by one of the State’s finest in Corbin, the defending Sea View League champion. Corbin passed on the track season to play softball, but apparently hasn’t missed a beat. McMullen had a fine track season, advancing to the section finals in the 1,600 meters, and Livermore was one of the county’s most consistent performers last fall. Niemi is a foreign exchange student from Finland who comes in with some impressive credentials, having run 5:05 for 1,500 meters.