Personal bests and a record-setting performance highlighted the CIF-Southern Section finals last Saturday when South Bay distance runners claimed three individual titles and two team championships.
Bay League cross country champions Ethan Comeaux and Melia Chittenden continued their winning ways capturing individual titles in their respective divisions on the 3-mile course at Riverside City Cross Country Course.
Comeaux will represent Redondo at the CIF State Championship this Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno after winning the CIF-SS Division 1 boys championship with a time of 14 minutes, 43.2 seconds.
Although not a personal best (Comeaux ran a 14:41.6 at this year’s Skechers Woodbridge Classic in September), he set a new Division 1 course record in Riverside becoming Redondo’s first male to win a CIF cross country championship in school history. He joins Amber Gore, who won girls CIF and State championships in 2014, as the lone Sea Hawks to accomplish the feat..
“Ethan is peaking very well at the right time,” Redondo coach Bob Leeth said. “He is beating the runners now that may have gotten him earlier. Everything we do is to set up our athletes to perform best at this time, the championship season.”
Redondo’s boys team finished 13th and did not qualify for the state meet but Mira Costa’s boys team did advance after placing second in Division 2.
Caleb Llorin led the Mustangs with a 3rd-place finish at 14:52.4 and was helped by teammates Xavier Court (8th, 15:03.8), Matthew Arruda (35th, 15:27.6), Scott Healy (39th, 15:29.8), Quinn Satow (52nd, 15:37.9), Cy Chittenden (53rd, 15:38.0) and Michael Yaskowitz (87th, 15:59.5).
West Torrance won the boys Division 3 championship with 70 points to beat Brea Olinda (117) and Paso Robles (148). Carson Bix, who ran a personal best time of 14:48.8 to finish fourth, led the Warriors.
In girls competition, Mira Costa’s Melia Chittenden ran a personal-best 16:49.4 to win the Division 2 championship in a field of 169 runners. Her time is the 6th-fastest in the state for girls this season and led the Mustangs to a 5th-place finish and a spot in the State meet.
Also running for Mira Costa were Olivia Hacohen (44th, 18:16.7), Sierra Andrade (45th, 18:18.9), Brooke Inouye (57th, 18:28.7), Emily Jones (68th, 18:34.4), Jessica Gregson-Williams (90th, 19:04.1) and Cara Chittenden (137th, 19:47.3).
Palos Verdes dominated Division 3 competition winning the title while scoring 37 points to beat Esperanza (104) and Laguna Hills (136)..
Mazzy Genovese, who won the 2015 Division 5 title as a freshman at Rolling Hills Prep, 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, Caitlin Stoner (8th, 17:51.1), Grace Catena (9th, 17:52.1), Savannah Scriven (17th, 18:13.7), Alexandra Regan (19th, 18:18.9) and Olivia Polischeck (22nd, 18:25.0).
El Segundo’s girls also advanced to the State Championships after placing 5th in CIF-SS Division 4.
