Local cross country teams advance to CIF Southern Section championships
Seven cross country teams from the Bay League qualified for the CIF Southern Section/Ford Championships to be held Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College. Photo
Redondo’s boys and girls teams will join the Mira Costa’s girls as part of a 12-team contingency from the South Bay that will compete in the CIF Southern Section/Ford Cross Country Championships Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College.
Runners from Redondo and West took the top four spots in the same Division 2 heat helping both teams qualify for the finals.
Redondo’s William Tait won the heat in 15 minutes, 29 seconds edging West’s Grant Lapovich (15:31) followed by Redondo’s Evan Malone-White (15:37) and West’s Michael Nakahara 15:38).
The Redondo and West boys qualified from the same Division II heat.
Dustin Herold (10th, 15:45), Garrett Klatte (24th, 16:03), Takehiro Yamaya (27th, 16:10) and Tomohiro Yamaya (30th, 16:16) and Carlos Suarez (47th, 16:43), who fell at the beginning of the race, completed Redondo’s team which finished second (65 points) to Righetti (51).
Bay League representatives Palos Verdes and Peninsula also qualified for the boy’s finals. Palos Verdes won its Division 3 heat and Peninsula finished third in its Division 2 heat.
Chadwick’s boys team advances after placing third in its Division 5 heat.
In girls competition, Redondo and South Torrance placed second and third, respectively, in their Division 2 heat and Mira Costa’s girls finished strong with a second-place finish in their heat.
Redondo was led by Kayla Ferron (3rd, 17:52), Amber Gore (6th, 18:06) and Cara Ulizio (7th, 18:14). South’s Kimberly Coscia (4th, 17:53), Taylor Beaudoin (8th, 18:27) and Nicole Beaudoin (10th, 18:39) also finished in the top ten.
Other Redondo runners included Nicole Pederson (18th, 19:05), Paige Sullivan (22nd, 19:17), Erin South (24th, 19:28) and Anevay Hiehle (37th, 19:54).
Mira Costa had two top-ten finishers in its heat with Abby Hong (7th, 18:17) and Emma Lautenan (9th, 18:23). Helping the Mustang’s cause were Lauren Hagedorn (15th, 18:42), Natasha Brunstein (26th, 19:12), Kellie Jeong (27th, 19:13), Kara Jeong (28th, 19:13) and Lauren Inouye (51st, 20:23).
Palos Verdes easily won its Division 3 heat and Torrance placed fifth in its heat in the same division.
In Division 4, El Segundo qualified with a sixth-place finish and Vistamar placed second in its heat to advance in Division 5.
Bishop Montgomery’s Danielle Shanahan ran the fastest time in Division IV with an 18:11 mark and will represent the Knights in the finals as an individual runner.