Flacks Romps to a Title at Mt. SAC

Poor air quality because of the Grand Prix Fire in the Inland Empire area led to the shortening of non-sweepstakes races in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational cross-country meet Friday. But it had little affect on senior Lindsay Flacks of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.

Flacks had not raced since Oct. 4 after feeling soreness in her groin following her victory in the Kenny Staub Invitational at Crescenta Valley Park in Glendale, but she romped to the Division III sweepstakes title at Mt. SAC.

Her time of 17 minutes 32 seconds over the 2.91-mile course gave her a 57-second margin of victory and cut 37 seconds off her previous best at Mt. SAC. She was the only girl to break 18 minutes on the first day of the two-day meet, which continues at 7:15 this morning.

“I noticed it wasn’t that fresh of air,” Flacks said when asked about conditions that lead to meet management’s decision to contest the non-sweepstakes races at a distance of two miles.

“It was a little hot and humid, but other than that, it wasn’t that bad at all,” she said. “I got a nice warm-up, so I was used to it by the time I raced.”

Flacks, who has won all four of her races this season, shared the lead with Wendy Grelli of San Jose Presentation after coming through the mile mark in 5:36. But Flacks had a 39-second lead over Grelli when she passed the two-mile mark in 11:48.

Santa Margarita won the Division III girls’ sweepstakes team title with a 99-157 victory over runner-up Corona del Mar.

Senior Dan Nunn of San Luis Obispo posted the fastest boys’ time of the day in winning the Division III sweepstakes in 15:10, eight seconds ahead of sophomore Michael Coe of Lompoc Cabrillo.

Senior Alex Dunn of Felton San Lorenzo Valley won the Division IV sweepstakes in 15:11, but wanted to beat his 15:00 effort from last year.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Dunn said. “And I hadn’t been getting the proper amount of sleep the last couple of days. That affected me a lot.”

John Ortega

*

The shock La Verne Bonita boys’ water polo players experienced while watching Hacienda Heights Los Altos end the Bearcats’ 96-game league winning streak earlier this month is beginning to wear off.

A victory in a nonleague game today against cross-town rival La Verne Damien at 10:30 a.m. at Las Flores Park would help push the memory even further back in their minds.

“We want to beat them just as bad as our [playoff opponents],” said Bonita senior Nick Corjon, who added that he’s looking forward to playing against his friend, Grant Miller, the co-most valuable player in Division V last season.

“We play basketball together and always see each other at college games,” said Corjon, a 6-foot-5 left-hander. “We have to put all that aside on Saturday.”

Bonita’s 7-6 loss to Los Altos in a Miramonte League game on Oct. 8 dropped the Bearcats two spots to No. 3 in the Southern Section Division VI coaches’ poll. Damien comes into today’s game ranked No. 1 in Division V. Both are defending Southern Section champions in their divisions.

Bonita beat Chino Hills Ayala, No. 2 in Division V, on Wednesday, 11-4.

-- Dan Arritt