Cross country runners perform well at Mt. SAC
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

A coastal fog and cool temperatures made running conditions nearly perfect for the CIFSS Cross Country Finals last Saturday at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

Oaks Christian quickly took advantage of the weather. The program's girls' and boys' teams finished second and third respectively in Division IV and advanced to the CIF State Finals this weekend at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Leading the way for the OCHS boys was Charlie Petrie, who finished in third place with a time of 15:50. Petrie's teammate Hunter Hays was fifth at 16:07.

The Lion girls' were led by Cristina Garcia, who finished with a mark of 19:06.

"It was really exciting to watch the boys' and girls' teams do well," Oaks Christian head coach Wes Smith said.

"Both finishes were the best in the school's short history, and I'm excited about the standard the two teams have set. Hopefully they're not done yet. We're glad to be state finalists, but we'd like to be state champions as well."

The Thousand Oaks High boys' team earned a 16th-place finish in Division I, with Sean Gildea running a time of 15:37.

In Division II, Westlake High was 14th. Marcus Lam led the Warriors with a mark of 16:08.

Marmonte League teams were firing on all cylinders on the girls' side of Division II, with Agoura, Simi Valley and Newbury Park all placing in the top 15.

Newbury Park finished in 14th place. Jenny Mallen was 12th overall with a time of 18:03.

Finishing in seventh place in the Division IV girls' race was La Reina High. The Regents, who qualified to run this weekend, were paced by Sarah Pearson's 18:40.

Oak Park will also send its boys' and girls' teams to Fresno.