Titles Hinge on Missing Runners, ‘Stealth’ Student

The girls’ sweepstakes race Saturday at the Orange County Championships turned into a short-handed battle for most teams.

Corona del Mar proved it’s adept at that, too.

The Sea Kings, without one of their top runners, didn’t skip a beat in defending their team title on the three-mile Irvine Park course. Corona del Mar had five runners in the top 29 and scored 91 points to easily defeat Woodbridge (129), Dana Hills (146), Esperanza (147) and Fountain Valley (148).

Season Meservey had the fastest time for Corona del Mar, finishing ninth in 18 minutes 35 seconds. Katie Quinlan was 12th, Diana Hossfeld 15th, Jenny Cummins 26th and Jenny Long 29th.

Lindsey Yourman, typically the No. 5 runner for Corona del Mar, missed the meet so she could take the SAT. Her absence was hardly felt by the Sea Kings, who are expected to defend their Southern Section Division IV and state titles next month.

“We were confident we could make it without her,” Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner said. “We’re not always going to be able to do that, but today we were a little more confident.”

Esperanza might have put a scare into Corona del Mar, but had to run without senior Nicole DiStefano, a first-team all-county selection two years ago, who was ill. Alison Costello’s fifth-place finish for Esperanza was one of the big surprises of the meet and teammate Shalice Pugmire also had her best race of the season, placing 25th in 19:04.

Foothill, the defending Division II state champion, finished 14th without the services of Laura Strachan, a junior who was an all-county selection last season but is still rehabilitating from a back injury suffered while playing soccer earlier in the year. Santa Margarita, another 1999 state finalist, also came into the meet severely banged up and finished 10th.

Brea Olinda, which finished eighth, ran without junior Michelle DiMeo, a second-team all-county selection two years ago. She was found to have a broken growth plate in her ankle last week.

At least the battle up front left nothing to be desired.

Julie Allen, the Fountain Valley junior who was the 1999 Times’ Orange County runner of the year, and defending champion Amber Steen, the Newport Harbor senior who won last year’s Southern Section Division II championship, finally met on the same high school course at the same time.

Allen grabbed a 20-meter lead after the first mile and didn’t let up, winning the race in 17:22, eight seconds better than Steen. Jenny Sears, a Mater Dei junior, was third (17:58) and Lori Mann, a Santa Margarita senior, was fourth (18:05).

Steen said she let the race get away on an uphill portion with about a half mile remaining.

“When I went up the hill I should have picked up the pace with her,” Steen said. “Instead, I planted my flag and said, ‘I’m at the top of the hill now.’ And I just didn’t go with her.

“That was definitely my fault. I need to stop planting my flag and run with her. If I could have stayed with her down that hill, I could have taken her.”

Brittney Webster, a Capistrano Valley sophomore, won the Division II race in 18:29, the seventh-fastest girls’ time of the day. Marina won the team title by 25 points over Laguna Hills behind the second-place finish of senior Vanessa Kelly.

Estancia’s Liz Huipe won the Division III race in 18:54. Canyon won the team title by 11 points over Santa Ana Valley.