Girls cross country: Sea Kings capture bragging rights

Steve Virgen

IRVINE - Now the Corona del Mar High girls cross country team has

bragging rights. Now the Sea Kings can boast about a team Coach Bill

Sumner calls the greatest in his tenure as the school’s girls coach.

With a siege of sturdy strides, the Sea Kings won the Division I

sweepstakes at the Orange County Championships Saturday at Irvine Park.

CdM finished with five runners in the top 29, led by junior Season

Meservey, who, in her first race back from an ankle injury, finished

ninth in 18:35 over the three-mile course.

“It’s about bragging rights,” Sumner said of the Orange County

Championships. “If you’re the top team in Orange County today, you get to

keep that title for the next 12 months.”

Newport Harbor senior Amber Steen (17:30) can be nearly as proud. She

finished second behind Julie Allen of Fountain Valley.

The varsity girls sweepstakes race featured 103 runners from 15

schools and drew the biggest of crowds. Newport Harbor and CdM fared

well, as Steen, the speedy redhead, ran her best time of the season.

“I still wish I could have done better,” Steen said. “I improved 14

seconds from last year. I did well.”

The Sea Kings’ title came without Lindsay Yourman, who was taking the

SAT. She has been among CdM’s top six the past two weeks.

“Right now, I feel very fortunate,” Sumner said. “We were confident

enough to let our No. 5 runner go to the SAT. My confidence is in my

kids. If we weren’t ready, then it would have been a wake-up call.”

Meservey’s finish was alarming enough. She suffered a short lapse of

speed toward the end of the race as two Woodbridge runners passed her

before the finish line.

“I had absolutely no kick at the end,” said Meservey noting that she

wants to rid herself of the familiar trend.

After she had finished running, she was uncertain if the Sea Kings

actually won the championship.

“I hope we’re OK,” she said. “But, if we’re not, it’s my fault.”

CdM’s Katie Quinlan finished 12th, arriving in 18:41. Diana Hossfeld

(18:43) was 15th, Jennifer Cummins (19:08) 26th, and Jennifer Long

(19:14) 29th. Elisha Morgan (19:32) and Katherine Morse (19:41) also

cracked the top 50, finishing 44th and 48th, respectively.

Despite that strong performance, the Sea Kings were still unsure of

their championship. They stood with looks of confusion mixed with

anticipation, waiting for the results. Then, finally, the scores were

posted and the girls huddled and hugged one another as they reveled in

their championship.

“I knew we could do it,” Hossfeld said. “I was surprised by the

(margin of victory). We had no idea. We were kind of nervous. It was a

little scary.”

CdM finished 38 points better than second-place Woodbridge as the Sea

Kings are fulfilling the expectations many had before the season.

“I don’t have many front-runners,” Sumner said. “We just have some

solid horses. I’m pretty confident that we’re the ones to beat.”

In the Division III race, Estancia’s Liz Huipe finished first in 18:54

as the Eagles were sixth as a team.

“It was a little more difficult because of the hills,” Huipe said.

“But, it didn’t really bother me.”

ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Girls Division I sweepstakes

1. Allen (Fountain Valley), 17:22; 2. Steen (Newport Harbor), 17:30;

3. Sears (Mater Dei), 17:58; 4. Mann (Santa Margarita), 18:05; 5.

Costello (Esperanza), 18:10; 6. Thune (Brea Olinda), 18:25; 7. Kanin

(Woodbridge), 18:33; 8. Berglas (Woodbridge), 18:34; 9. Meservey (Corona

del Mar), 18:35; 10. Mainwaring (Santa Margarita), 18:40. Others: 12.

Quinlan (CdM), 18:41; 15. Hossfeld (CdM), 18:43; 26. Cummins (CdM),

19:08; 29. Long (CdM), 19:14; 37. Paul (NH), 19:23; 44. Morgan (CdM),

19:32; 48. Morse (CdM), 19:41; 55. Rinek (NH), 19:47; 58. Mechkor (NH),

19:56; 59. St. Andre (NH), 19:56.

Girls Division III

1. Huipe (Estancia), 18:54; 2. Lange (St. Margaret’s), 19:02; 3. Vega

(Santa Ana Valley), 19:06; 4. Jones (La Habra), 19:07; 5. Ochoa

(Saddleback), 19:19; 6. Gardner (Tustin), 19:38; 7. Sipe (Canyon), 19:45;

8. Delgado (Santa Ana Valley), 19:55; 9. Dominguez (Magnolia), 19:58; 10.

Gorton (Tustin), 20:05. Others: 23. Cahuantzi (Estancia), 21:38; 28.

Valdez (Estancia), 21:49; 41. Butler (Estancia), 22:23; 43. Valasco

(Costa Mesa), 22:41; 49. Goldamez (Costa Mesa), 23:02; 55. Hernandez

(Estancia), 23:15; 67. Tran (Costa Mesa), 24:36.