County’s Best to Run in Fresno Again Today

Many of the top high school runners in the county will compete today in the 16th Foot Locker Cross-Country Championships West Regional at Fresno’s Woodward Park, site of last Saturday’s State finals.

Freshman Heather Garritson, the State Division III champion from Buena Park High, will participate in her first Foot Locker race. Her sister, Carrie Garritson, who is now at Alabama, is the only prep runner to have competed in four Foot Locker finals.

Joining Garritson in this year’s field are Esperanza’s Courtney Pugmire, who was State Division I runner-up last Saturday; Santa Ana Valley’s Eliaser Estrada, who finished seventh in the State Division I race, and Corona del Mar’s Tracy Clark, who was third in the State Division III race.

The boys’ county contingent will be led by Capistrano Valley’s Adalberto Sanchez, who qualified for the West team last year and finished fifth in the State Division I final last Saturday.

Sanchez will be joined by league champions Garrett Jensen of Sunny Hills (Freeway), Brian Slingsby of Corona del Mar (Sea View) and Glen Busch of Orange (Century). Santa Ana Valley’s Joel Orozco, who finished second to Busch in the Century League final, will also compete.

They will be vying for a spot on the West team, which is made up of the top eight finishers in each of the day’s seeded races.

The national finals will be next Saturday in San Diego.