Entering the cross country season, Mira Costa’s Elizabeth Melia Chittenden had set a few goals. The senior reached those goals and then some.
After winning individual championships in the Bay League and CIF-Southern Section Division 2, Chittenden used a final sprint to overtake two runners to claim the CIF State Division 2 title Saturday in Fresno,
Trailing Northwood’s Erika Adler and Anaheim Canyon’s Sara Leonard, Chittenden dug deep as she saw the finish line approaching wondering if there was enough time and a distance of 400 meters to surpass her rivals.
She did, finishing the 5000-meter race with a time of 17 minutes, 25.6 seconds edging Adler (17:26.1) and Leonard (17:26.7). All three runners qualified for the NXN Nationals to be held Saturday in Portland, Oregon.
Chittenden joins Savannah Pio (2010) as the only two CIF State Champions in school history, beating Pio’s time by one second for a new school record.
“Melia ran smart moving up throughout the race when she needed to,” said Mira Costa Coach Renee Williams-Smith. “She was around 8th at mile one and looking strong, moving her way up to 5th with a little more than 800 meters to go.”
With the top three runners so close, Williams-Smith could not tell who won the race from where she was standing.
“Melia really overtook them with a combination of strength and speed,” Williams-Smith added. “She is a very bright girl and is very easy to coach. We talked about what it would take to win and the strategy that she would need to employ. She executed it perfectly even though she said afterwards that she was tired and it was hard. I am so proud of her and her commitment to put all the pieces together to make it happen this year.”
Chittenden admits she has surprised herself but was excited to see her hard work pay off.
“This is my senior year so I gave it all I had,” Chittenden said. “What Coach Renee has taught me is that the key to winning any race is to not be overconfident and go out with an early lead.”
Winning league and CIF titles were two of the four goals Chittenden had set, the other two was finishing in the top five and leading her team to a repeat appearance at the State Championships.
“I never expected to win a CIF Individual Championship, let alone a State title, so doing so came as an absolute surprise,” Chittenden said. “At the CIF-SS meet in Riverside, I didn’t fully process the fact that I had won until a minute or two after I had crossed the finish line. Once I realized I was the D2 CIF Champion, I couldn’t stop smiling.”
While her smile continued after her race in Fresno, she was disappointed in her team’s 11th-place finish. She was hoping for an improvement on the Mustang’s 9th-place finish in 2015.
“I’m so incredibly proud of my team for all the work they’ve put in this year to make it to the State meet,” Chittenden said. “We have a strong group of runners, but we knew if we wanted to make the podium, we’d all have to work harder and race faster than we ever have.”
Also running for Mira Costa were Olivia Hacohen (68th, 19:10.9), Brooke Inouye (95th, 19:36.1), Emily Jones (97th, 19:38.5), Sierra Andrade (101st, 19:39.9), Gaby Guerrero (119th, 19:54.6) and Jessica Gregson-Williams (155th, 20:34.8).
“It was a pretty exciting day for the both the boys and girls teams with school records falling left and right,” Williams-Smith said. “I am really proud of the effort this team has displayed. We have a mix of seniors and sophomores on this squad and hope to continue the rich tradition of getting to the state meet next year. We have a lot of hope since our No. 2 and 3 runners, Olivia Hacohen and Brooke Inouye, were sophomores.”
After capturing the CIF-SS Division 3 championship the previous week, Palos Verdes’ girls squad won its sixth State title and third since 2011.
The Sea Kings dominated the competition scoring 75 points, well ahead of Esperanza and Aptos who both tallied 156 points. Palos Verdes’ team earned an at-large at the NXN Nationals, the first team from the hill to accomplish the feat.
CIF-SS Division 3 individual champ Mazzy Genovese led Palos Verdes finishing 10th in 18:12.7. Also running for the Sea Kings were Grace Catena (15th, 18:22.6), Caitlin Stoner (18th, 18:28.6), Alexandra Regan (24th, 18:38.8), Savannah Scriven (25th, 18:39.1), Olivia Polischeck (49th, 19:02.3) and Camille Hines (66th, 19:16.6).
“Statistically, this is the best team ever to come from the area’s schools,” Palos Verdes Coach Brian Shapiro stated. “They set records for the fastest times run on historic course like Mt. Sac, Woodward Park, and our own Palos Verdes Cross Country Course. But they are also a very unique mix of ages, personalities, and running styles. Every team has its own personality and this group has been characterized by a willingness to work hard and have a lot of fun. It has been an absolute pleasure to mentor this group of student-athletes.”
El Segundo’s girls placed 8th in Division 4.
For the first time as a State Meet, Mira Costa’s boys had two top-ten finishers as the Mustangs placed 5th in Division 2, setting a new school record for the fastest time at the state Championships.
Caleb Llorin finished 2nd with a time of 15:15.7 and Xavier Court placed 8th at 15:30.7. Llorin, who set a new individual school record for the State Meet, was edged by Claremont’s Owen Bishop (15:14.6) for the title.
Helping Mira Costa’s cause were Cy Chittenden (74th, 16:17.3), Matthew Arruda (75th, 16:17.4), Scott Healy (101st, 16:29.3), Quinn Satow (125th, 16:43.2) and Michael Yaskowitz (160th, 17:05.7).
Redondo’s Ethan Comeaux turned in an impressive performance finishing 5th in Division 1 with a time of 15:14.3.
West Torrance’s boys team placed second in Division 3 with 125 points sandwich by champion Cathedral Catholic (82) and Campolindo (138). Carson Bix finished 8th for the Warriors with a time of 15:23.4.
