For a photo gallery of the meet, click here.
WALNUT — Keep it in the neighborhood.
Two rival girls’ cross country powerhouse programs crossed paths when it was all over at Mt. San Antonio College like they do in the Back Bay.
Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor stood tall, proud of each other after conquering the hilly, three-mile course in Walnut. First-place finishes for both in their respective divisions at the CIF Southern Section championships Saturday.
CdM in Division III and Newport Harbor in Division II, and just as similar as the results were the responses from the program’s longtime successful coaches.
After the Sea Kings won their impressive fourth straight section crown by edging out Orange Lutheran, 49-53, Coach Bill Sumner said he was “surprised.”
When Newport Harbor Coach Eric Tweit heard that his Sailors claimed their second section title in three years by beating Mira Costa, 131-135, he said it was “unexpected.”
It is the second time in three years the cross-town rivals have swept their respective divisions. The other local girls’ coach with a team at the finals, Sage Hill School’s Nate Miller, knows why.
“Must be something in the water,” said Miller, who also saw his team in Division V benefit from the water, especially one runner.
Junior Cait Williamson placed first in 18 minutes, 32 seconds in Division V, making her the first Sage Hill runner to win an individual section cross country title in school history. About two hours later it was CdM senior Shelby Buckley winning the Division II race at 17:51, making it two Newport-Mesa-area runners finishing at the top.
Big-time performances turned in by CdM, Newport Harbor and Sage Hill, but each coach told their runners that it’s not over. The state finals at Fresno’s Woodward Park is next and it comes two days after Thanksgiving Day.
Don’t expect any of the runners to go “cold turkey” with running.
“We’re treating this week like every other week,” said Sumner, sounding like Tweit and Miller. “So there won’t be any stuffing your face.”
Sumner made one exception before the Sea Kings go on their Division III state title defense. After winning Saturday, giving Sumner seven girls’ section cross country titles, the 25th year coach took the Sea Kings to the nearest In-N-Out Burger. CdM has made the stop a tradition, so much so that Sumner said the place knows their orders.
