Corona del Mar Foursome Aces the Course, Wins Title

Corona del Mar seniors Katie Quinlan, Diana Hossfeld, Jenny Cummins and Lindsey Yourman walked away winners Saturday at the state cross-country championships.

The foursome finished among the top 39 in the girls’ Division IV race, helping the Sea Kings defend their state title on the Woodward Park 3.1-mile course. Corona del Mar scored 75 points, which was its margin of victory over second-place Sierra Madre Maranatha.

“This is what we pointed for,” Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner said. “This is the last of what we call ‘the four aces.’ ”

The Sea Kings also defended their Orange County and Southern Section titles this season and finished fourth in the Division I race at the Stanford Invitational, the other “ace” on Corona del Mar’s schedule.

For the seniors, it was a fitting end to memorable running careers at Corona del Mar, beginning with a disappointing fourth-place finish at the state finals three years ago, followed by a one-point loss to Southern Section rival Ojai Nordhoff the following season.

“When we had bad experiences like that, we just worked harder the next year,” Quinlan said. “It provided good motivation.”

Foothill couldn’t defend its Division II title, but the Knights did finish third (151) behind Hesperia Sultana (105) and Santa Rosa Montgomery (96). Laura Strachan, who suffered a broken bone in her lower back a few months after finishing ninth in this race last season, finished 40th to earn key points for the Knights.

Emily Haigh, who was 44th last season, improved her time by 52 seconds and finished 21st in 18:54 to lead Foothill.

Woodbridge, which won the Division I state title last season, finished sixth in Division II and Newport Harbor was seventh.

The Sailors were paced by senior Amber Steen, who matched her fifth-place finish from a year ago, but was 33 seconds faster. Steen’s time of 17:50 was also the best among county runners.

Mater Dei junior Jenny Sears improved her time by 20 seconds over last season, finishing eighth in 18:21, and Santa Margarita senior Lori Mann ran eight seconds faster while finishing 11th in 18:34.

St. Margaret’s senior Ligaya Lange also had a big improvement over last season, when she finished 13th in the Division V race in 19:54. This year, Lange worked her way through the pack and finished fifth in 19:18, helping the Tartans finish sixth in the team standings.

Estancia’s Liz Huipe also finished her high school cross-country career on a high note, finishing sixth in the Division IV race in 19:07, which equaled her time from last season but bettered her place by three spots. Orange Lutheran sophomore Andrea Bocanegra finished 12th in the same race in 19:25.

Rosary senior Christy Arnerich finished 11th in the Division III race, helping the Royals finish sixth in the team standings. Arnerich’s time of 19:01 was a 27-second improvement over 1999, when she placed 20th.

Fountain Valley junior Julie Allen finished third in the Division I race, but her time of 17:53 was 11 seconds slower than her pace last season, when she was the runner-up in the same race.

Dana Hills finished third in the team standings with three sophomores and a freshman finishing between 21st and 36th.