Girls’ Cross-Country Preview: Success takes different shapes for local cross-country squads

Defining success in cross-country can be a tricky business.

For the six local teams, last season brought differing levels of prosperity with some squads taking home championships, others securing postseason bids and still others showing progress throughout the course of the season.

Only one local squad last year had the dual privilege of taking home a league championship and a CIF Southern Section title and perhaps no one is more poised again to repeat the feat than Flintridge Prep.

Despite a school size of 415, according to the latest CIF Southern Section listing, the Rebels are bursting at the seams with a large squad that includes 35 runners.

“We’re doing well and that’s what’s bringing in the girls in droves,” said Flintridge Prep 17-year veteran coach Michael Roffina, who shares the coaching duties and reigning All-Area Coach of the Year honors with Jill Riehl. “I honestly don’t go out knocking door to door. We’re just in the middle of something special and I think this team has the capability of being good, really good.”

Roffina graduated two key runners in Prep League champion Sarah Yoho and senior leader Kate Evans, but replaced the talented twosome with 11 freshmen, most of which will remain at the junior varsity level, but may make a few guest appearances this season.

While the Rebels are young, they don’t lack for leadership.

That was evident after Yoho went down with an injury before the CIF Southern Section Division V championships at Mt. San Antonio College on Nov. 23.

Even without their top runner, the Rebels crushed runner-up Woodcrest Christian, 52-117, for the program’s second-ever CIF-SS title.

In that race, then-freshman Natalie O’Brien took over the torch of team leader and finished fourth in 19 minutes, 4 seconds.

That day’s championship squad nearly identically comprises this year’s returning top seven, which includes seniors Ashley Lara and Lacy Coan and sophomores Maia Cohen and Marissa Langley.

Sophomore Willow Scott and junior Sarah Kersting figure to complete the Rebels’ scoring five, although Roffina has another “five to seven” girls with the ability to get into the rotation.

If there wasn’t enough pressure, the Rebels also began the season top-ranked in the Division V poll.

“This is a team that really gets it,” said Roffina, whose team finished third in state in Division V for a second straight year. “The key is staying healthy. Otherwise, these girls love running together and this might just be the most competitive group of kids I’ve ever had. We’re going to enjoy this year.”

Last year was mostly successful for Crescenta Valley, although the season ended a week earlier than the team expected.

The Falcons placed second within the competitive Pacific League, but were edged at the following week’s divisional preliminaries.

“There was an expectation that we’d make it to finals and it just didn’t happen,” Crescenta Valley Coach Mark Evans said. “Maybe the good thing from last year is that we only graduated one senior.”

Crescenta Valley waved goodbye to its No. 2 runner Erika Johnson, but welcomes back Megan Melnyk.

The senior took fourth in 17:50.28 at the league finals at Arcadia Country Park on Nov. 7 and is expected to compete for an individual league title with Arcadia senior Laura Guidolin and Burbank junior Candela Fernandez.

Behind Melnyk, the Falcons have a formidable, but thin group in juniors Rebecca Mencia, Samantha Bernardo and Grace McCauley, senior Haley Witzeman, sophomore Annie Myers and freshman Ashley Bayless, who has impressed over the summer.

It was Thursday when Witzeman stood out, as she finished first in 19:13 at the Crescenta Valley mini-meet at Crescent Valley Park.

Witzeman’s time was almost 40 seconds better than the next closest competitor.

“We have a talented group, but we’re not deep,” Evans said. “We can’t really afford an injury. Our goal is to stay healthy and also to cut down our gap between one and seven.”

One of last season’s cross-country success stories came from just up the hill, as Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy battled through a solid Mission League to finish third and advance to the postseason, where the Tologs concluded their year 13th at the Division IV finals.

Senior Kayla Grahn was the leader that day, as she placed 31st in 19:34, and figures to retain the title of No. 1 runner after the graduation of Maddie Peterson, Sara Vargas and Riley Gilmartin.

“Outside of Kayla, we’re a very young team,” said Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Kirk Nishiyama, who is beginning his 20th season coaching.”She’s a returning all-league runner and she has the ability to be a top-five runner.”

Grahn was seventh last season in league and will likely be followed sophomore Monica Collins, who is healthy this season after missing portions of last year with injuries. Junior Kristina Mercolino is a solid pick for the No. 3 position.

The last four spots are up for grabs between seniors Sarah Vega and Katherine Laco, sophomore Sarah Peterson and freshmen Bobbie Byrne and Francheska Cross.

“Our goal every year is to make it to [CIF-SS] finals and then state,” Nishiyama said. “With the most recent CIF alignment, though, that’s going to be more difficult. We have some tougher teams who have moved into our division and it’s going to be a challenge.”

One squad that met and possibly exceeded expectations last year was Hoover.

The Tornadoes edged Burroughs, 121-128, for fourth place at the Pacific League Finals to advance to the following week’s CIF Southern Section prelims for the first time since 2002.

At league finals, Lucik Minassian paced her squad by placing 16th in 19:35 and has moved on to Glendale Community College.

Despite the loss, Hoover 10-year coach Jack Sallakian believes his team has the ability to make a repeat run to the Division III prelims.

“We did real well last year and I think we’re looking to be even stronger this year,” Sallakian said. “We have about 12 girls on this year’s team and four seniors. This is one of the biggest teams we’ve had in a while.”

One of those seniors is Megan Mirkhanian, who finished 18th at the Pacific League finals in 19:48.75 and was a solid No. 2 all year for the Tornadoes.

“This is Megan’s third year in cross-country and she’s ready to lead,” Sallakian said.

Sallakian’s daughter, Renee, is expected to move up from fourth to second for the squad, while senior Alyssa Andrade, junior Fuzie Burushyan and freshman Valeria Caballero are expected to round out the scoring five for Hoover.

Down the road, a very young Glendale side gets back a solid returner, contributor and leader in senior Leana Setian.

The senior was a Mt. San Antonio College Invitational individual champion and third-place finisher (18:13.03) as a sophomore at the Pacific League finals at Arcadia in 2012, but ran as a freelance competitor for Clark Magnet School last season.

“It’s great to have Leana back,” Glendale Coach Bob Bailey said. “So far, she’s running injury free. We’re looking forward to what she can do.”

While Setian can be counted on to contend in the top 10 in league, if not top five, the rest of the squad is intent on picking up more experience and developing throughout the course of the season.

Bailey is hoping he can convert junior 800-meter track runner Nona Boygjyan into a distance athlete and believes he has two more solid contributors in senior Salley Cruz and sophomore Alie Pellegrini, Glendale’s No. 2 runner from the previous season.

“Last year, we had a lot of experience and we lost a lot to graduation,” Bailey said. “I think we can still have a better season than last year and who knows, maybe we can crack the league’s top four or five.”

There’s new leadership at Holy Family, where the Gaels turn to Nathaniel Ziomek.

While Holy Family coaches have often had to deal with the issue of being able to field a team, that won’t be the case for Ziomek.

“We’re going to have 11 girls on the team and I know that’s a bigger squad than what the team’s had in previous years,” Ziomek said. “I think we’re all looking forward to seeing what we can do in the Horizon League.”

Last season, the Gaels finished fifth in league and did not qualify the squad or an individual to the postseason.

Perhaps that will change this year as the squad is practically new, led by a group of juniors.

Sabrina Rufino and Catherine Lapointe will share captain duties this season and are expected to lead the pack.

Expect junior Destiny Sanchez to also be near the top, while freshman Elizabeth Aceves may surprise this season.

“Those are the four that will do the work for us this year,” Ziomek said. “I like the work that I’ve seen from these girls so far and now it’s a matter of showing what we can do.”