Elite Field Set to Run at Mt. SAC

Several of the top high school cross-country runners in California and the western United States will be competing this morning at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut in the marquee events of the 52nd annual Mt. SAC Invitational.

The event began Friday with 29 races in Divisions III, IV and V.

The boys’ and girls’ team and individual sweepstakes races highlight today’s 59-race schedule for Divisions I and II, beginning at 7:15 a.m. The last race is scheduled to go off at 3:21 p.m.

Four-time defending City champion Belmont, the top-ranked team in the state, is the school to beat in the boys’ team sweepstakes race at 9:30 a.m.

Josh Spiker of Ventura, the defending Southern Section Division I cross-country and 3,200-meter champion, is the favorite in the boys’ individual sweepstakes, which begins at 9:50 a.m.

Sara Bei of Santa Rosa Montgomery, the defending Mt. SAC and West regional champion, is the favorite in the girls’ individual sweepstakes race at 10:10 a.m. Anita Siraki of Glendale Hoover and defending City Section champion Valerie Flores of San Pedro are also contenders.

Palos Verdes Peninsula, the state’s top-ranked team, is the favorite in the girls’ team sweepstakes at 10:30. University High of San Francisco, the three-time defending state Division V champion, is expected to make a run at defending its Mt. SAC championship.

The West Covina South Hills boys and the Livermore Granada girls turned in the top performances by teams in Friday’s meet.

South Hills, paced by the second-place finish of Jesse Hodges, defeated Los Gatos, 62-73, for the Division III boys’ sweepstakes title. The Huskies’ top five runners posted a cumulative team time of 80 minutes 39 seconds, the fastest of the day.

Granada defeated Concord Carondelet, 57-88, in the Division III girls’ sweepstakes race. The Matadors placed three runners among the top eight finishers and their team time of 98:12 was the fastest of the competition.

Devan Lomayaoma of Hopi (Ariz.) had the fastest boys’ time of the day with a 15:19 over the 2.95-mile course to lead his team to its third consecutive Division V sweepstakes title.

Laura Myers of Sierra Madre Maranatha posted the fastest girls’ time with a 18:15 in the Division III sweepstakes race.