Tradition runs deep: Palos Verdes’ girls cross country team won CIF-Southern Section and State Division 3 championships with a blend of unique personalities and running styles

When workouts began in the summer, the girls on Palos Verdes’ cross country team knew they had an opportunity to do something special, but it would takes lots of hard work.

The season began in August with an annual trip to Mammoth Lakes, where the cross country teams from Palos Verdes and Mira Costa trained in the high altitude with the hopes of producing a championship season. The dream became a reality not once, but three times for the Palos Verdes girls squad, who kept a winning tradition alive.

This year’s squad began with the Bay League team championship followed by CIF-Southern Section and State Division 3 titles.

The cross country team has a storied history since the Palos Verdes girls program began in 1977. The girls won 14 consecutive Bay League titles from 1977 to 1991.

They won  won CIF titles in 1979, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016 with the 1987 team being named national champions and still considered to be one of the greatest squads in prep history.

“I knew my team had talent and determination, but I had no idea what was coming for us,” said senior leader Caitlin Stoner. “I’m glad I did not know that we were going to accomplish what we did way back in August because it made this season like a mystery and motivated me and everyone of us to work harder to see what we can accomplish and how far we can push our season to be.”

Fighting through inclimate weather at Woodward Park in Fresno on November 26, the Sea Kings captured their sixth State title and third since 2011.

Palos Verdes dominated the Division 3 competition scoring 75 points, well ahead of Esperanza and Aptos who both tallied 156 points.

Only a sophomore, CIF-Southern Section Division 3 individual champ Mazzy Genovese led Palos Verdes, finishing 10th in 18 minutes, 12.7 seconds. Also running for the Sea Kings were junior Grace Catena (15th, 18:22.6), seniors Caitlin Stoner (18th, 18:28.6) and Alexandra Regan (24th, 18:38.8), freshman Savannah Scriven (25th, 18:39.1) along with seniors Olivia Polischeck (49th, 19:02.3) and Camille Hines (66th, 19:16.6).

“Statistically, this is the best team ever to come from the area’s schools,” said Palos Verdes coach Brian Shapiro. “They set records for the fastest times run on historic course like Mt. SAC, Woodward Park, and our own Palos Verdes Cross Country Course. But they are also a very unique mix of ages, personalities, and running styles. Every team has its own personality and this group has been characterized by a willingness to work hard and have a lot of fun. It has been an absolute pleasure to mentor this group of student-athletes.”

Stoner feels the differences of her fellow Sea King runners helped form a special bond between the teammates

“We have girls from every grade, and it is true — we really do all bring in different personalities,” Stoner said. “Some of us are total beach bums, like me, and some of us are a little more goofy. I love every single girl on my team and we came together to make our team so unique and have created memories I will never forget.”

Catena, who joined the Palos Verdes team after running for South Torrance the first two years of her prep career, elaborated on the differences between the runners.

“Mazzy is a bundle of joy, always encouraging us with her excitement,” Catena said. “Camille, Caitlin and Alex have that senior leadership that pushes us to be the best we can be. OIivia is the mom of the team. She always has a positive outlook and wants the best for the team and although only a freshman, Savannah is super friendly and enjoys the sport. I love running with her.”

Catena also believes the different running styles provided depth for her squad.

“Olivia enjoys running longer distances like 13-mile workouts,” Catena said. “Camille prefers the shorter, faster courses and Mazzy pushes the pack and likes to take the lead.”

While winning the State championship was a memorable moment for the girls and validated the hard work put in by the runners, the highlight of the season was yet to come.

Sitting on the bus during the five-hour trip home from Fresno, the girls anxiously awaited news to see if their State championship was enough for the team to earn an at-large entry at the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in Portland, Oregon.

“Coach Shapiro stood up and said ‘I’m going to Portland next week and you’re coming with me,’” Catena recalled. “It was such an emotional experience.”

Stoner felt there was no better way to end her final cross country season in high school.

“Once Shapiro told us we all started screaming, then all started crying, then all started laughing because why would we be crying?” Stoner said. “Then actually going to NXN and meeting different runners from all over the country was so inspirational. Also to get the awesome gear and running the race was so much fun.”

Palos Verdes’ girls became the first team from the hill to reach the NXN, where it placed 18th in the competition held December 3.

“Even we didn’t win, it was a great experience,” Catena added. “It was insane to compete against the best in the country, facing new competition and a new course.”

The Lady Sea Kings began competition on September 17 by winning the team title at the Iolani Invitational at Kualoa Ranch in Kaaawa, Hawaii.

All seven of the team’s runners placed in the top 20, led by champion Catena and runner-up Stoner.

After capturing the Bay League title, Palos Verdes won its 11th girls CIF championship scoring 37 points to beat Esperanza (104) and Laguna Hills (136) on November 19 in Riverside..

Genovese, who won the 2015 Division 5 individual title as a freshman at Rolling Hills Prep before transferring to Palos Verdes, claimed the Division 3 championship with a personal-best 17:19.9.

The Sea Kings had six of their seven runners finish in the top 20 with Genovese, Stoner (8th, 17:51.1), Catena (9th, 17:52.1), Scriven (17th, 18:13.7), Regan (19th, 18:18.9) and Polischeck (22nd, 18:25.0) turning in strong performances.

Catena feels the key to the team’s success was training on the difficult courses in Palos Verdes.

“We took advantage of the hills, our coaches are fantastic when it comes to training methods, and we have great parental support,” Catena said.

Stoner gives credit to the head coach.

“Coach Shapiro has all our best interests at heart and we all go through phases where we want to kill him because he pushes us so hard, but that only makes us better,” Stoner said. “He is so smart and knows what he’s doing. I trust him with my whole running career and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to move on to another coach next year because Shapiro is the absolute best.”

All of the girls on championship cross country team are expected to continue their mentorship by Shapiro in the spring. Along with serving as the school’s athletic director, Shapiro also fills the shoes of head track and field coach for the Sea Kings.

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