Don Lugo Wins First Division I Title

Chino Don Lugo High won its first Division I boys’ cross-country title in the Southern Section finals Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

The Conquistadores, paced by third-place Arturo Garcia, totaled 53 points to easily defeat three-time defending champion Long Beach Poly, which finished second with 125.

The cumulative time of Don Lugo’s top five runners was 77 minutes, 55 seconds. That was 29 seconds faster than they ran in winning the team sweepstakes race of the Mt. SAC Invitational in October and moved them to second on the all-time course list.

Thousand Oaks set the course record of 77:09 in 1994.

“We thought we could break 78 minutes,” Don Lugo Coach Don Salyers said. “That had been a goal of ours since the start of the season.”

Long Beach Poly, two-time defending state Division I champion, was shooting for a record-tying fourth consecutive section title, but Don Lugo took early control of the race that was run in cool, overcast conditions.

The Conquistadores had five of the top 25 runners after the first mile and finished with five of the top 28.

Garcia, a junior, timed 15:13 over the 2.95-mile course, with senior Nick Branen seventh in 15:26, senior Israel Gonzales 13th in 15:38, twin brother Josh Gonzales 21st in 15:45 and senior Mike Serratos 28th in 15:51 for Don Lugo.

Junior Ozzie Pina of Lakewood won the Division I title in 15:07, the fastest time of the day and a 10-second improvement over his previous best at Mt. SAC.

Junior Anita Siraki of Glendale Hoover and Irvine Woodbridge turned in the top performances in the girls’ meet.

Siraki ran a stunning 16:58 to post her eighth victory in nine races this season and Woodbridge totaled 51 points to defeat Palos Verdes Peninsula, which finished second with 87.

Siraki’s time cut 25 seconds off her previous best and made her the third girl to break 17 minutes on the vaunted course.

The others were Julia Stamps of Santa Rosa, who ran 16:55 in 1995 and 16:58 in 1994, and Kristen Gordon of Concord Carondelet, who timed 16:57 in 1996.

Senior Nicole Scott placed fourth in 18:08 for Woodbridge, which had four of the top 12 finishers and a 93:22 team time that moved the Warriors into a tie for third on the all-time course list.

Irvine University set the course record of 92:25 in 1981.

In other races: Ojai Nordhoff won its third consecutive Division IV boys’ title for its eighth section championship of the decade; Newport Beach Corona del Mar won its second consecutive Division IV girls’ title; and Palos Verdes Peninsula Chadwick won its second consecutive Division V girls’ championship.

The top six teams in the Division I races, and the top four in divisions II-V advanced to the state championships at Woodward Park in Fresno next Saturday, as did the top five individuals among the top 20 finishers not from a qualifying team.