Runners Try To Stand Out From the Crowd at Mt. SAC

Anybody who is somebody in high school cross-country is scheduled to take part in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational in Walnut on Friday and Saturday.

Josh Spiker of Ventura, Mark Nevers of Oak Park, Tom Kubler of Viewpoint, Anita Siraki of Hoover, Laura Jakosky of Agoura and Nicole Bonino of La Canada head the list of individuals from the region who will be among the roughly 14,000 runners from 475 schools in the largest high school meet in the nation.

Juniors Nevers, Kubler and Bonino will be some of the top runners in Friday afternoon’s schedule, which will be capped by sweepstakes races in Division III, IV and V.

Senior Spiker and juniors Siraki and Jakosky are set in their respective individual sweepstakes races on Saturday when Division I and II schools will compete.

Spiker, the defending Southern Section Division I champion, will try in the boys’ individual sweepstakes race for his fifth victory in six races this season.

Spiker finished fifth at Mt. SAC last year, but he has improved, as evidenced by his 8:56.66 clocking in the 3,200 meters during track season and his victory in the state championships in June.

Siraki, fourth in the state Division I final last year, and Jakosky, sixth in Division II, will put their undefeated seasons on the line in the girls’ individual sweepstakes race that includes junior Sara Bei of Santa Rosa Montgomery, the defending Foot Locker West regional champion.

Juniors Natalie Stein of North Hollywood and Kelley Hess of Thousand Oaks, two-time selections to The Times’ all-region cross-country teams, are also entered in that race.

Nevers and Kubler have been beaten only once this season.

Nevers, runner-up in the state Division IV final last year, will lead Oak Park in the sweepstakes race at that level. The race will include five of the top-10 ranked teams in the state, including No. 1 McFarland and No. 5 Nordhoff, the two-time defending state champion.

Oak Park outperformed Nordhoff in the small schools race of the Ojai Invitational at Lake Casitas on Sept. 18, but that was a non-scoring meet.

Kubler, runner-up in the state Division V final last year, is favored to win the sweepstakes race in that division with defending state champion Flintridge Prep expected to battle Hopi (Ariz.) for the team title.

Bonino, fifth in the state Division III girls’ final last year, will pace the two-time defending state champion Spartans in the sweepstakes race at that level.

Friday’s races will start at 2 p.m. with Saturday’s beginning at 7:15 a.m.

Eighty-eight races will be contested over the two-day meet.