Allen’s Third Hurts So Good

Senior Julie Allen of Newport Beach Corona del Mar High never got comfortable Saturday in the seeded girls’ race of the West region cross-country championships at Mt. San Antonio College.

As a result, she turned in the best performance of her career to finish third in a race in which the top eight finishers qualified for the national championships at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Dec. 8.

Senior Amber Trotter of Ukiah, the national title favorite, ran 17 minutes 14 seconds over the 5,000-meter layout to cut 22 seconds off the course record set last year by Alicia Craig of Gillette, Wyo.

Senior Felicia Guliford of Gallup, N.M., finished second in 17:57 to advance to the nationals for the third time. Allen was at 18:15.

“I just wanted to do justice to the race,” said Allen, who was in second at the two-mile mark. “All of my other races [this season], it’s just been a case of me going out there and running. Of me cruising. Today, I was thinking about pushing myself with every step ... I needed to go past [the pain].”

Allen, 21st in the West regional last year, was the only runner from the Southern Section to advance to the national championships in either the girls’ or boys’ races.

Senior Emily Vince of Palos Verdes Peninsula, runner-up to Trotter in the state Division I final on Nov. 24, finished 15th while recovering from a cold.

Sophomore Liza Pascuito of Murrieta Valley, who collapsed shortly before the two-mile mark of the Southern Section Division I final at Mt. SAC on Nov. 17, was in 10th place approaching two -miles Saturday when she fell and bruised her left knee. She said she was inadvertently clipped from behind by Jackie Zeigle of Bingham in South Jordan, Utah. She did not finish.

Senior Henry Hagenbuch of Carpinteria Cate was the top Southern Section finisher in the seeded boys’ race, placing ninth in 15:43.

Senior Luke Llamas of Canyon Country Canyon was 12th in 15:56 with junior Erick Maldonado of Chino Don Lugo 15th in 16:05 and senior Mark Batres of Rosemead Bosco Tech 20th in 16:10.

Senior Nurani Sheikh of Salt Lake City Highland, a Somalian native who was living in a refugee camp in Kenya a year and a half ago, won the boys’ race in 15:25 after pulling away from Jesse Fayant of Mead High in Spokane, Wash., and Billy Nelson of Taft.

Favorite Yong-Sung Leal of San Lorenzo Arroyo was fourth in 15:33.

This is the first year since the West regionals began in 1979 that no Southern Section runner has placed among the top eight finishers in the boys’ race.