County Teams Establish the Pace

Several Orange County girls’ cross-country teams arrived at the Southern Section preliminaries Saturday sporting shiny reputations. All left Mt. San Antonio College with their reputations enhanced.

Orange County schools posted the top qualifying times in three of the five divisions, including the top four times in Division II.

The county also produced some dazzling individual performances, led by Fountain Valley sophomore Julie Allen, who won her Division I heat in 17 minutes 45.75 seconds, joining Glendale Hoover’s Anita Siraki (17:44.06) as the only girls to run under 18 minutes on the three-mile course.

Woodbridge had the top team time in Division I and the best girls’ time of the meet (1 hour 34 minutes 59 seconds). The Warriors, ranked second in the division behind Palos Verdes Peninsula, took the top four spots in one of the four heats. Nicole Scott led the way for Woodbridge (18:22.19). Peninsula had the second-fastest time in Division I (1:38:28), followed by Esperanza (1:38:53).

Foothill, the top-ranked team in the state and Southern Section in Division II, had the top team time in the division (1:36:32), followed by Santa Margarita (1:37:54), Brea Olinda (1:39:08) and Newport Harbor (1:39:49).

Foothill’s first five runners finished among the top nine in one of the three heats, while Santa Margarita had five in the top 11 in a separate race.

“I think it’s going to be a battle between us and Santa Margarita,” Foothill Coach Jeff Farr said. “I think we have a good chance and I think they have a good chance.”

The best time in Division II belonged to Newport Harbor’s Amber Steen, who surged past Santa Margarita’s Lori Mann in the stretch and crossed the line in 18:23.12.

“I took a strong lead and I thought that would be OK as long as I could keep it long enough,” said Mann, who finished in 18:26.63. “The strategy worked until the last 200 meters.”

Corona del Mar, the top-ranked team in the state and Southern Section in Division IV, cruised to the top qualifying time (1:40:47) as five runners placed in the top 10. Liz Morse finished second for the Sea Kings.

Rosary qualified in Division III as junior Christy Arnerich won her heat with the second-fastest time in the division (19:23.14). Northwood, running without two of its top runners, Jordan Bechtold and Jenny Ormes, who are nursing injuries, had the fourth-best qualifying time in Division V.

At the Southern Section finals on the same course this Saturday, the top six teams in Division I and the top four teams in the remaining divisions advance to the state finals.