Corona del Mar doused

Chris Yemma

With the bar already set high after a CIF Southern Section Division

III title, the Corona del Mar High girls cross country team headed

into the state championships hoping to cap a perfect season with

another title.

But as the rain turned Woodward Park into a slushy mud pit, the

Sea Kings’ hopes of a state title washed away and were possibly put

on the back burner for next year. CdM finished in fourth place in

Division III at the CIF State championships Saturday in Fresno.

Sea Kings Coach Bill Sumner said he sent his team out full

throttle, aiming for the title, but the potential for coming in

second or third in that situation is risky, he said.

“This is a great young team,” Sumner said. “We tried something

today, and when you try for the win you might give something up.

“We were going for the win, but you kind of have to take what you

can get.”

Corona del Mar was two points out of third place, finishing with

164 points to Oak Park’s 162. Placer, of Auburn, Calif., was first

with 125 and Maria Carrillo of Santa Rosa was second with 142.

Junior Annie St. Geme led the Sea Kings, coming in seventh place

in 18 minutes, 28 seconds.

“We won the CIF title last week, so if we would have won state, it

would have been multiplied by 10,” St. Geme said.

St. Geme said she went out really fast and then faded a little bit

after the three-mile mark on the five-kilometer course.

After a misty morning, the weather went from bad to worse in the

middle of the girls Division III race. It started raining fairly

heavy, turning parts of the dirt course into mud. One runner from

another school went down, but none of the Sea Kings were affected.

Corona del Mar’s Sara Cummings finished in 25th place in 19:12,

while teammate Alison Damon was one second behind her in 26th place.

Hilary May (54th in 19:57) and Ahlia Kattan (63rd in 20:09) were the

last two point-scorers for Corona del Mar.

But with their hopes this year of winning a state title, the Sea

Kings should have an even better chance next year. The top five

runners are returning and will be CIF Southern Section favorites.

They will also be looking to put CdM in state competition for the

19th consecutive season.

But Sumner is not one who lives in the future -- the future is the

present, he said. And Saturday in Fresno, Sumner and the team was

living in the present.

“At this level the stakes get higher,” Sumner said. “Sometimes you

have to take your licks. This time we swung hard and missed.”