Siraki Seeking Title, Fast Time

When Anita Siraki of Hoover High lines up today for the Division I girls’ race in the state cross-country championships at Woodward Park, her No. 1 goal will be to win her first Division I title.

But the Tornado junior could also be shooting for a time, depending on how fast Sara Bei of Santa Rosa Montgomery and Alejandra Barrientos of Felton San Lorenzo Valley run earlier in the meet.

Bei, the two-time defending state Division III champion, is favored to win the Division II title today, and Barrientos is an overwhelming favorite in the Division III race. Those two and Siraki are regarded as the top three girls in the state and among the best in the West region, but they’ve run in the same meet only once this season.

That was in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational on Oct. 23, when Bei ran 17:05 over the 2.95-mile course to defeat Siraki by 18 seconds for the individual sweepstakes title. Barrientos won the team sweepstakes race in 17:13.

Siraki ran 16:58 in winning the Southern Section Division I title at Mt. SAC last Saturday, but that race was run in cool, overcast conditions and on a course that was regarded as very fast after an overnight drizzle.

Junior Tom Kubler of Viewpoint and the Flintridge Prep boys’ team are the other favorites from the region.

Kubler ran 15:20 to win the Division V individual title in the Southern Section championships and defending state champion Flintridge Prep won the Division V team title with a 65-100 victory over Downey Calvary Chapel.

The Nordhoff boys’ and girls’ teams and the Oak Park boys’ team also appear capable of winning titles if they run their best races of the season.

Nordhoff is the two-time defending state Division IV boys’ champion and defeated Oak Park, 70-89, last week for its eighth Southern Section title of the decade. But the Rangers will be underdogs to No. 1-ranked McFarland.

Oak Park defeated Nordhoff for the Ventura County title on Oct. 29, but the Eagles will again be without No. 5 runner Taylor Hermes, who dropped out of the section final after aggravating a hamstring injury.

“We’re just not going to risk it,” Coach Kevin Smith said of the decision to keep Hermes out of the meet.

“The young man has a tremendous future and we don’t think it’s worth taking a chance with him.”

Nordhoff will try to upset Corona del Mar for the second consecutive year in the Division IV girls’ race.

Corona del Mar, the No. 10-ranked team in Harrier magazine’s national poll, defeated Nordhoff, 23-56, for the section title last week.

But Nordhoff defeated Corona del Mar, 54-55, for the state title last year after losing to the Sea Queens by eight points in the section final.

The La Canada and Louisville girls’ teams and junior Laura Jakosky of Agoura are also capable of finishing among the top three in their respective races.