She’ll Feel Right at Home in Ivy League

Corona del Mar senior Katie Quinlan is hoping to get accepted at Brown University in Rhode Island next month. If it happens, she won’t feel all that far from home.

Several other runners on the Corona del Mar team have applied to Ivy League schools, and Liz Morse, the Sea Kings’ top runner last season, is currently running for Princeton.

“The Ivy League meets will be like a little reunion,” Quinlan said. “I applied early, so if I get in, I’ll know in December.”

Quinlan was the first Corona del Mar runner to cross the finish line at the Southern Section Division IV finals Saturday, helping the Sea Kings win the team title for the second consecutive year. It was the third section title in four years at the school for Quinlan.

“For the seniors it’s kind of an important thing because it’s our last time on the course and we wanted to finish strong,” she said. “Coach [Bill Sumner] always says we have four aces and this is one of them, state’s another, so we weren’t saving anything.”

CRASH COURSE

Nicole Distefano took three spills on Saturday at Mount San Antonio College, but still managed to help her team achieve an at-large qualifying time for the state finals.

The Esperanza senior tripped over a cement block and fell in the college’s parking lot heading toward the meet area, then tripped and fell over a rock during the teams’s warm-up run before the Division I race.

Distefano got to the starting line, but then lost her footing on the opening loop of the race and took another spill. Distefano finished 63rd overall, despite blood streaming from her left knee and scrapes on her left palm.

Distefano, an all-county selection two years ago who was slowed earlier this season by a bad case of bronchitis, was still able to joke about her experience.

“That’s why they call it cross-country,” she said.

NOT OUTCLASSED

Esperanza’s Alison Costello finished fifth in the girls’ Division I race in 18:03.7, the fastest time of the day by a sophomore. Costello, who fractured her ankle playing soccer in July, also finished fifth at the Orange County Championships last month.

In the boys’ races, Michael Haddan of Woodbridge finished 18th in the Division II race in 15:44.7, the fastest time among freshmen. Orange’s Raul Lara finished 26th in that race in 15:57.3, the second-fastest time by a freshman.

Haddan and Lara were among 25 county boys who broke 16 minutes on the 2.93-mile course.

ALONE IN SECOND

Corona del Mar senior Travis Beardslee finished second in the Division IV race behind Big Bear’s Ryan Hall, who broke a 22-year-old course record.

“I call myself the winner of the mortals,” said Beardslee, whose time of 15:17.60 was 49 seconds behind Hall but second-fastest among county runners.

If you have an item or idea for the prep cross-country report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at dan.arritt@latimes.com