Irvine’s Haddan Voted Into Sweepstakes Race

Michael Haddan of Irvine Woodbridge will be allowed to run in the boys’ sweepstakes race of the Orange Country cross-country championships on Saturday at Irvine Regional Park.

The sweepstakes races are usually comprised of the top 15-ranked boys’ and girls’ teams in Orange County. But county coaches voted Tuesday night to allow Haddan, whose team is not among the top 15 in the county, to run in the sweepstakes event so he can compete against top runners such as Juan Robles of Placentia Valencia, David Napper of Cypress and Mike Chavez of Anaheim Esperanza.

Robles won the sweepstakes title in the Orange County championships last year, but Haddan won the Division II race with a time that was three seconds faster.

*

The Hesperia Sultana girls’ cross-country team has moved to third in the latest national rankings by Harrier magazine.

Murrieta Valley, which finished five points behind Sultana in the sweepstakes race of the Inland Empire Challenge at Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park in Ontario on Saturday, is ranked 12th. Thousand Oaks is 24th.

Long Beach Poly, which won the sweepstakes race of the Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday, is ranked 23rd in the boys’ poll.

John Ortega

*

Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula junior Macall Harkins is expected to play in a key Bay League girls’ tennis match today against Beverly Hills.

The versatile Harkins, who plays at No. 2 or 3 singles or No. 1 doubles for the Panthers (11-1, 4-0), has been bothered by left wrist and shoulder injuries most of the season. She sat out the Panthers’ 10-8 nonleague victory Wednesday over Dana Hills (8-2), the top-ranked team in the Southern Section Division I poll, to ensure she would be available against Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills (10-0, 4-0) is ranked No. 2 in Division I and No. 3 in The Times’ rankings. Peninsula is No. 6 in both the Division I and Times’ rankings.

“She came back and tried to play two matches in a row a couple weeks ago, and it really kind of bothered her,” Peninsula Coach Tom Cox said.

Lauren Peterson

*

The Southern Section council this morning will vote on a proposal that would restrict coaches to coaching only their own athletes in out-of-season competition. Athletes would still be allowed to play for club coaches unaffiliated with section schools.

The council, during its regular meeting at The Grand in Long Beach, will also vote on a golf proposal that would increase the maximum number of allowable matches from 18 to 24. Under the proposal, nine-hole matches against the same opponent held on consecutive days would count as two matches instead of one.

Ben Bolch