SOUTHERN SECTION CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS : Pugmire Hangs On to First Place in Division I

Courtney Pugmire of Esperanza took first place in the Southern Section Division I girls’ cross-country final Saturday, tying the 10th-best time ever posted at Mt. San Antonio College, finishing in 17 minutes 45 seconds. With the victory, she also qualified for the State meet.

Pugmire, whose team failed to qualify for the State final, led most of the way and was able to hold on to the victory.

“I planned on striding with the rest of them for the first mile,” Pugmire said. “And then I ran my own race from there. I was lucky to win the race.”

In the Division I girls’ team final, Irvine finished third on the three-mile course with 99 points to qualify for the State meet along with El Toro, which took fourth with 109 points.

In the Division I boys’ final, Capistrano Valley’s Adalberto Sanchez battled with Camarillo’s Eleazar Hernandez. Sanchez held a narrow lead most of the race, but Hernandez overtook him in the final quarter-mile for the victory in 14:54.57.

Sanchez, a senior, took second place behind Hernandez in 14:55.06. His time was 11 seconds faster than his qualifying time in last week’s preliminaries.

The Edison girls’ team took second place in the Division II-A finals, but were able to outdistance La Puente Bishop Amat to capture first place in the State qualifying. The Chargers finished with 89 points, one ahead of Bishop Amat.

Jamie Vaicaro of Katella qualified in fifth place, with a time of 19:00.

In Division III boys, Brian Slingsby of Corona del Mar was disappointed with his second-place finish in 15:25, behind Nordhoff’s Javier Ramirez (15:10).

“At the beginning, I should have caught him,” Slingsby said. “I didn’t want to do the first mile too quick, but he ran off and I didn’t have time to catch up to him.”

Slingsby’s finish helped qualify the Sea Kings, who took fourth place with 140 points.

Also qualifying was Santa Margarita’s Michael Murray, who finished in seventh place in 15:53.

El Modena qualified, taking second place with 93 points, and La Habra advanced, finishing third, with 137 points.

In the Division III girls’ race, Buena Park freshman Heather Garritson captured second place in 18:04, to qualify for State. Nordhoff freshman Elaine Candhola was first in 17:35. Corona del Mar’s Tracy Clarke (fourth, 18:10) and Santa Margarita’s Katie Nuanes (seventh, 18:49) also advanced.

In Division III girls’ team competition, El Modena (85 points) and Foothill (107) finished first and second to advance.

Brethren Christian’s Brandon Pacheco took third place in Division IV, and qualified with a time of 16:00.

In Division I girls, Nancy Dollar of San Clemente qualified, finishing sixth in 18:43, and Elly Estrada of Santa Ana Valley qualified in 18:47.

In Division IV girls’ team competition, Orange Lutheran, finishing second (97 points) and Laguna Beach (103), taking third, qualified for the State meet.