Temperatures suit locals at Mount SAC
Erik Boal
The weather conditions were ideal for Preston Richardson to deliver
another impressive effort at the 56th annual Mount San Antonio
College Invitational.
Competing around 8 a.m. Saturday, the Burbank High senior talent
thrived in the cooler setting to take fifth in his Division I varsity
race, covering the 2.91-mile layout in 15 minutes 43 seconds.
But Richardson wasn’t the only local standout to excel at the
world’s largest cross-country event.
More than four hours after Richardson shaved 13 seconds off his
time at last year’s CIF Southern Section final -- also contested at
Mount SAC -- Burroughs junior Katie Vahoviak competed in the final
Division II varsity race.
And even with temperatures surging into the low 90s, Vahoviak had
no problem beating the heat, dropping 57 seconds from her time at
last year’s CIF preliminaries to clock 19:30, good for second behind
El Monte Arroyo’s Eren Ramirez (19:21).
“I actually like running when it’s hotter,” said Vahoviak, who led
the race through the first mile and maintained the advantage heading
up the renowned Poop-Out Hill, before Ramirez made her move.
“I’ve had knee problems in the past, so I don’t like running when
it’s [too cold].”
Just being able to race on the complete Mount SAC course was a big
relief for Vahoviak, who was informed that the 19 races following
hers -- all lower-level races -- would be shortened to two miles to
compensate for the rising temperatures.
However, after just four of those races, the Mount SAC organizers
decided to cancel all remaining events because of an onset of smoke
emanating from the fires in Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernardino
County.
“I didn’t want to get cut short. This is Mount SAC, you don’t come
here to run two miles,” said Vahoviak, whose time tied for the
124th-fastest mark out of the 1,497 varsity runners who competed on
the full 2.91-mile course during the two-day event.
“But whatever race I was put in, it was meant to be. This
[performance] means a lot. There’s a lot of good runners [competing
here], so this is pretty big.
“Now, in my eyes, I can see I’m doing really well. Finishing
second made me realize that I should be more confident [because] I
can compete with the best runners.”
If Richardson wasn’t already considered one of the top runners in
Division I, then he only strengthened his case Saturday, helping
Burbank to a fourth-place finish in its race with a team time of
82:39.
“He’s already way ahead of where he was [at this time] last year,”
said Bulldog boys’ Coach Bob Shaw, whose squad trailed Rialto
(81:10), Las Vegas Centennial (81:37) and Arcadia, which clocked the
same team time, but held a 123-132 edge.
“And I know we’re going to come on strong at the end, because
that’s the way we train. We run a tougher league finals course, so
that benefits us.”
Said Richardson, who tied for the 64th-fastest mark out of 1,890
varsity entries who ran the full 2.91-mile course Friday or Saturday:
“I was hoping to get top five [in my race], so I’m pretty satisfied.
And I’m pretty happy with how we’re doing [as a team].
“[The first time you run Mount SAC during the season] it’s all
about seeing what you can do on this course.”
With Richardson and the improving Ryan Christoffersen (10th;
16:03), the Bulldogs should be in the hunt to make a return trip to
the CIF final, providing they get the proper support from the Nos. 3,
4 and 5 runners -- Aram Sahagian (39th; 16:53), Rick Bennett (40th;
16:55) and Kevin Christoffersen (49th; 17:05).
The Burbank girls also competed Saturday, but the Bulldog lineup
was split up in an attempt to allow Michelle Horgan to get a high
placement in her freshman race.
Horgan took second in 20:30, trailing only Quartz Hill’s Brienna
Morris (19:41). Without her, Burbank still took sixth in its race,
led by junior Melissa Edwards (16th; 20:08) and sophomore Neline
Shamirian (18th; 20:14).
In Friday’s competition, the Bellarmine-Jefferson girls’ team
survived the poor air quality as a result of the Grand Prix Fire in
the Inland Empire to take 10th in the Division V team sweepstakes
race.
Senior Pharrin Lewis led the Guards, clocking 21:16 to take 17th.
Amber Herkey, a sophomore, was 27th in 21:48.
Herkey’s brother, Gerad, competed in the Division IV team
sweepstakes race, along with fellow junior Jeff Pang. Herkey took
18th in 16:45 and Pang was 27th in 17:05.
Burroughs junior Daniel Anderson (16:59) finished 32nd in his
Division II varsity race Saturday, helping the Indians to a
13th-place effort.