Inland Empire Meet Is Aiming High

In five or 10 years, the Inland Empire Challenge could be a well-established cross-country meet.

The inaugural meet Saturday at Guasti Regional Park in Ontario will be simply trying to make a name for itself while determining this year’s Inland Empire, Riverside County and San Bernardino County champions.

“We’re trying to show that we’re not just a bunch of desert rats out here, that we have some quality cross-country teams and individuals,” said Jeff Swigart, boys’ coach for Moreno Valley Canyon Springs High.

The Riverside County cross-country championships began in 1986, but this will be the first year that San Bernardino County will determine boys’ and girls’ champions.

Saturday’s meet, which starts at 8:30 a.m., will be comprised of 12 races.

The featured events will be the boys’ sweepstakes at 9:50 and the girls’ sweepstakes at 10:55. These races will include the top team and individual entries from Riverside and San Bernardino counties with the winners earning the distinction of Inland Empire champions.

Riverside and San Bernardino county champions will also be determined by those races.

Not all the top teams and individuals from the counties will run.

Riverside Rubidoux, the No. 3-ranked Division I boys’ team in the state, might be without its Nos. 2, 4 and 5 runners because they’re nursing injuries.

Barstow, the state’s top-ranked Division III team, won’t run because the Aztecs need a break after winning their divisions of the Yucaipa and Kenny Staub invitationals the previous two Saturdays.

Yucaipa and Chino Hills Ayala, ranked fifth and sixth in the state Division I girls’ poll, will bypass the meet to focus their training on the team sweepstakes race of the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational on Oct. 20.

Coaches have discussed moving the date of next year’s meet to avoid such conflicts.

There will be plenty of talent in the meet, however.

Temecula Valley, ninth in the state Division I poll, will be the boys’ favorite if Rubidoux is not at full strength.

Junior Erick Maldonado of Chino Don Lugo, third in the Southern Section Division I final last year, is the individual favorite.

Murrieta Valley, ranked 15th nationally, is favored to win the girls’ title behind sophomore Liza Pasciuto.

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At a Glance

What: Inland Empire Challenge, a cross-country meet featuring Riverside County and San Bernardino County schools.

Where: Guasti Regional Park, Ontario

When: Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Why: The inaugural meet will determine the Inland Empire boys’ and girls’ team and individual champions, as well as the Riverside and San Bernardino counties’ champions.