Eight teams chasing a championship

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers RETURN TO FORM—Allie Lopez and the Thousand Oaks High girls' cross country team are eager to return to the top of the Marmonte League standings this fall. TOHS won league titles from 2004-06. Slowly but surely, the gap is closing.

Although many coaches pick Royal High to be the top girls' cross country team in the Marmonte League once again, even Royal's head coach, Jay Sramek, believes it will be tough to repeat as champs in 2008.

"We're still looking to dominate like we've done in the past, but I don't think we are necessarily the dominant team in the league like we once were," Sramek said. "Agoura is really good, and Simi Valley returns a lot of key runners. Newbury Park also improved last year and looks tough."

The Highlanders' top runners will be sophomore Kelly Upson and senior Hannah Brockert. Brockert battled shin injuries a year ago but, according to Sramek, is healthy now. Sramek has also been impressed with Upson.

Upson is "definitely more knowledgeable now," Sramek said. "She knows what she's training for. She's been down the road before, and there's no substitute for experience in this league."

Other RHS runners that will make an impact are seniors Taylor Mogg, Katy O'Connel and Lexi Yang. Sophomore Hannah Safford, junior Marie Grap and freshman Sophie Mateau will chip in as well.

Royal's toughest competition last year was Agoura, which finished the '07 season in ninth place in the CIFSouthern Section Division II finals. The Chargers graduated their top runner in Erin Baird, however, and have already been beset by injuries this summer.

Kristen Hessick and Sarah Kislak, Agoura's No. 4 and No. 5 runners, will miss the majority of the season due to injuries. Although the squad is banged up, head coach Cathy Prater isn't putting any extra pressure on her squad.

"I don't tell kids to step into other people's shoes because it wouldn't be fair to them," Prater said. "All they can do on any given day is do their best and be responsible for themselves."

Leading the way for AHS will be senior Katie Klezek, who was the squad's No. 2 runner in '07. Sophomore Alex Smith will be the Chargers' No. 2 runner this season, while junior Logan Bedell and sophomore Kelley Klezek will also make an impact.

Westlake finished sixth in the Marmonte League last season, but hopes to improve thanks to the return of senior Molly NorlingChristensen. During track and field last season, Christensen showed potential by finishing with a 5:27 mile time and an 11:48 2-mile time.

"Based on what she did in track last spring and what we've seen from her in the summer, we think she can run at 19 minutes or quicker in the 3-mile this year," Snyder said. "There's no way we're going to walk over people in this league, but we do set our expectations high."

Besides Christensen, sophomore's Caroline Hollister, Allie Kazen, Julia Lomino and Emily Turner will also see time on the Warrior varsity team.

Another team coming in with high expectations is Simi Valley, which finished third in the Marmonte League last year. The Pioneers are once again led by Liberty Miller, who came out of former Pioneer standout Anna Sperry's shadow to become a Ventura County champion. Miller, now a junior, placed fourth at state finals in 2007.

While Miller made the state finals, she did it alone. After making the state as a team in 2006, the Pioneers fell just short of qualifying last season.

"This team has now tasted what it feels like to come real close but still not make it to the state finals," Simi Valley head coach Roger Evans said. "They want to make sure they don't experience that again."

Other runners that will contribute for SVHS include juniors Chanelle Nicholas, Nicole Rietveld, Ashley Hamilton and Brooke Popp. Senior Kimberly Rowland, sophomore Amanda Miller and freshman Karla Vernola will also make an impact.

Last year's top surprise, Newbury Park, is a strong contender for a league title thanks to the return of the school's top runner, Jennifer Mallen. Mallen is in top shape entering the season, as the senior recently competed in the San Diego-based America's Finest City Half Marathon and finished 86th overall.

"She's putting in a whole lot of work to become a better runner this offseason," Newbury Park head coach Dominique Colell said. "During the first nine miles of her marathon, she was pacing herself at about six and a half minutes per mile. That's pretty good."

Junior Amanda Okun is the squad's No. 2 runner. Other Panthers to watch this season include seniors Erika Schaeffer and Courtney Chason, as well as junior Natalie LaRosa and sophomore Shannon Byrne.

Thousand Oaks finished in fifth place last year after winning league titles from 2004 to 2006 and is looking to return to glory thanks to the return of senior Allie Lopez. Lopez, who made the state finals in 2005, has missed a good portion of the last two years due to a knee injury.

The Lancers also return seniors Jean Kim and Annalise O'Tool, as well as junior Rachael Adams and Ally Phillips, but the key to this club will be its freshmen. First-year runners Kalin Padberd and her twin, Ashton, will start the season on the varsity squad after impressing Morris in the summer.

"We have a lot of inexperience mixed with a lot of experience on this team," Morris said. "We're projecting to do a lot better than last season, but that all depends on getting the girls to bond as a team. If they do that, they will train better and good things will happen."

Moorpark finished 1-7 in league last year but is hoping to improve due to a new training regimen implemented by head coach Mark Jaeckel, as well as the arrival of senior Lilly Imani. Imani, a former MHS water polo player, will be running cross country during the season for the first time after spending the last three summers training with the squad.

"I've always had a passion for running, and I felt the time was right to finally stop teasing the coaches about running during the season," Imani said. "Water polo was just a little too aggressive for me. In cross country, when I push myself hard I can actually see results."

Other Musketeers to watch include senior Torrie Marschik and juniors Stacy Fujikuni, Emily Sandon, Sajel Thaker and Alexis Pichardo.

Calabasas finished at the bottom of the Marmonte League standings last season, but top runner Olivia Barry is hopeful the Coyotes can surprise some teams this year.

"We have a lot of newcomers, and because of that we're really starting fresh," Barry said. "We have a very tough league, but we just try to stay positive, cheer each other on and focus on breaking our personal-best times."