The highly-competitive Mt. SAC Invitational was held Saturday with local teams faring well as they prepare for the Bay League Finals on Thursday, Nov. 1
Mira Costa finished fourth in the Boys Division 1 & 2 Individual Sweepstakes with 159 points behind Amador Valley (130), J Serra (144) and Arroyo (152).
The Mustangs were led by Cy Chittenden’s 7th-place finish at 15 minutes, 16 seconds. Other Mira Costa runners included Thomas Velvin (31st, 16:00), Cormac Carew (32nd, 16:00), Cole Gamble (37th, 16:05), Aidan Vellaca (52nd, 16:28), Alex Florito (54th, 16:34) and William Garrell (64th, 16:46).
Redondo’s boys captured their Division 1 race with 76 points, outrunning Vista Murrieta (81) and Marshall (105).
The Sea Hawks had three runners finish in the top 15 with Christoph Waligorski (3rd, 15:55), Jackson Chambers (7th, 15:59) and Benjamin Tait (11th, 16:15). Also running were Patrick Henry (27th, 16:42), Ariel Rodriguez (28th, 16:45) and Daniel Lutz (45th, 17:06).
“Our boys worked on a certain strategy that played out well and secured a win in the Division 1 race,” Redondo coach Bob Leetch said. “We had fine performances and breakout performances by Christoph Waligorski and Jackson Chambers to both run under 16:00. Ben Tait raced well coming off an ankle injury to place 3rd.”
In girls competition, Redondo finished third in the Division 1 & 2 Individual Sweepstakes recording 159 points. Amador Valley (125) and Chaparral (129) battled it out in a close finish for first place.
Leading the Sea Hawks were Isabella Landry (20th, 18:53), Montgomery Allison (25th, 19:06), Domenica Villegas (42nd, 19:32), Kasey Bohney (44th, 19:43), Therese Bach (46th, 19:44), Peyton Heiden (50th, 19:48) and Shelby Bender (71st, 20:28).
In the Team Sweepstakes competition, Mira Costa placed fifth. The Mustangs were led by Dalia Frias (11th, 18:02), Brooke Inouye (16th, 18:41), Lucy Atkinson (28th, 19:12), Pnina Tofler (41st, 19:43), Piper Newton (46th, 19:55) who ran in her first varsity meet, Carmen Mel (53rd, 20:20) and Allyson Doyle (57th, 20:33).
“The girls raced well and were led by standout Isabella Landry and followed closely by Montgomery Allison, Kasey Bohney, Dominica Villegas and Therese Bach,” Leetch said. “Their team packing approach proved to be a winning combination all season and Saturday was a good example of that. Especially without standout Molly Hastings who was not with the team due to a previous commitment. To race that well without Molly was big for us. She has been consistently one of the glues that has been key for the team all season.”
