Siraki Glides Over Course for Easy Win

Anita Siraki of Hoover High will be seriously challenged in several cross-country meets later this season.

She knows that.

As does her coach, Greg Switzer.

But she wasn’t pushed in the Kenny Staub Invitational at Crescenta Valley Park on Saturday, winning the Division I girls’ race by 37 seconds over runner-up Natalie Stein of North Hollywood.

Stein, the 1997 City Section champion, defeated Siraki by eight seconds in the Staub meet last year and placed second behind Lauren Fleshman of Canyon.

But Siraki, a junior, has improved greatly. She finished fourth in the state Division I final in November, clocked 10:30.81 in the 3,200 meters during track season and finished fifth in that event in the state championships.

Stein, a junior, ran with Siraki for the first mile Saturday, but Siraki had a five-yard lead at the halfway point and won by nearly 200 yards with an 18:22 clocking over the three-mile course.

“I felt really good today, probably because I wasn’t pushing it,” Siraki said. “I want to save my legs for the big meets later this season.”

Switzer concurred.

“The main goal today was for Anita to be able to smile the whole way,” he said. “We didn’t want her feeling any fatigue.”

Siraki, undefeated after four races, set a course record in winning the junior division of the season-opening Millikan Invitational at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Sept. 11 and had the fastest time of the meet in winning the Division II race of the Woodbridge Invitational a week later.

But Switzer said Siraki looked fatigued in the Woodbridge race and she felt it in her legs during workouts the following week.

Switzer lessened her training load the last two weeks and instructed Siraki to “float over the ground and be effortless” in her running.

“She should feel fast, but comfortable,” Switzer said. “We don’t want her to run so hard that lactic acid is building up in her muscles.”

While Siraki dominated the individual portion of the Division I race, Peninsula ran away with the team title.

The Panthers, top-ranked in Southern Section Division I, had five runners among the top eight finishers to total 27 points.

Quartz Hill was second with 77 points, followed by Crescenta Valley with 114 and Newbury Park with 119.

Junior Jenny Yadon and freshman Tara Novelli of Quartz Hill finished 11th and 12th, each in 20:23. The Rebels had five runners among the top 19 finishers.

Burroughs finished second to Peninsula in the Division I boys’ race with its third strong effort in eight days.

The Indians totaled 66 points to finish five points behind Peninsula after winning the Division II race of the Bell-Jeff Invitational on Sept. 25 and placing second to Canyon in the first Foothill League meet of the season on Thursday.

Junior Mike Navarro placed fourth in 16:39 for Burroughs with senior Brian Anderson fifth in 16:43 and junior Tony Ahr seventh in 16:49.

Burbank runners won three titles.

Yuri Christoffersen held off teammate and fellow junior Thomas Harley to win the Division II boys’ title by one second in 16:36 and the 1-2 finish paced the Bulldogs to a 58-67 victory over runner-up Claremont.

Erica McCarthy of Burbank won the Division II girls’ race in 19:44 and teammate Nicole Rubino was second in 20:21 as the Bulldogs totaled 94 points to finish third behind Claremont (48) and Arcadia (81).