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Kenan Pala Powers Way to Memorable Performance, Stormy Wallace Also Victorious at Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational

Published by
DyeStat.com   Oct 23rd 2021, 7:53am
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Pala of Francis Parker produces all-time marks by a San Diego athlete and Division 5 competitor with sweepstakes win in 14:24.9 to cap opening day of meet’s 73rd edition; Sage Creek’s Wallace achieves top overall girls performance in 17:25.3, but Cathedral Catholic is too deep in showdown of section powers

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Although the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College cross country course in Walnut, Calif., is once again the host for the Southern Section prelims and finals in November, it was a group of San Diego Section athletes that grabbed the spotlight in their return to the 2.93-mile layout Friday.

WATCH THE 73RD MT. SAC CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL LIVE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23 WITH A RUNNERSPACE +PLUS SUBSCRIPTION

The opening day of high school competition at the 73rd Mt. SAC Invitational nearly produced an all-time boys record to cap the 45-race schedule and showcased dominant performances by the top female competitor in San Diego, as well as the elite girls program in the section this season.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Kenan Pala of Francis Parker, a Yale commit, clocked 14:24.9 in the Division 3-4-5 individual sweepstakes race to eclipse both the San Diego Section and Division 5 all-time marks, along with equaling the No. 2 performer in meet history.

Pala lowered the 2013 section record of 14:27 achieved by Tal Braude of Torrey Pines, along with taking down the Division 5 mark of 14:33 held since 2002 by Tim Nelson of Redding Liberty Christian.

Pala prevailed against Max Sannes of Big Bear, a Division 4 state title contender who clocked 14:48.3, and Division 3 championship favorite Isaiah Givens of Pasadena (14:54.7). They were the only sub-15 performances achieved Friday.

Cathedral Catholic, led by a sixth-place finish from Blake Levy (15:24.2), secured the team title with 139 points. Pala helped Francis Parker earn runner-up with 148 points.

The Division 3-4-5 girls team sweepstakes race was a long-awaited coronation for Sage Creek senior Stormy Wallace, who had finished fourth as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore, before being denied an opportunity to compete last year at Mt. SAC as a result of the cancellation of the meet because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wallace lowered her 2018 effort by nearly 25 seconds to achieve the fastest girls performance of the day at 17:25.3, leading three athletes under the 18-minute barrier, along with sophomores Payton Godsey of Oaks Christian (17:53) and Arielle McKenzie of La Canada (17:58.6).

Sage Creek also finished second overall with 97 points, ahead of Division 4 rivals La Canada (105) and Oaks Christian (117) – the only lineup with three scorers in the top 10, as Grace Geyer (18:19.8) was fourth and Sarah Colebrooke (18:38.4) placed eighth – but the team competition was another example of the depth of Cathedral Catholic, the top-ranked Division 3 team in the state.

Alexandria Pena (18:30.8) and Lexi Arambulo (18:31.2) finished fifth and sixth for the Dons, who placed five scorers in the top 20 – including four under 19 minutes – to prevail with 57 points.

Cathedral Catholic also had six athletes place in the top 15 of the Division 3-4-5 junior varsity sweepstakes to dominate that competition with 28 points. Junior Madelyn Basinet was the individual winner for the Dons in 20:14.5.

Agoura senior Georgia McCorkle led four more athletes under the 18-minute mark in the Division 3-4-5 girls individual sweepstakes, including three competitors from Division 3 along with Division 5 state championship favorite JiaLian Mackey of Viewpoint.

McCorkle triumphed in 17:37.9, with Sydney Rome of Yorba Linda clocking 17:44.3 to place second. Mia Chavez of Chino edged Mackey at the line by a 17:49.6 to 17:49.7 margin.

South Pasadena, competing in Division 4 and led by Sydney Morrow placing seventh overall in 18:44.6, was the top team with 137 points, ahead of Yorba Linda – a Division 3 program – with 139 points. Mackey led Viewpoint to fourth overall and top Division 5 honors with 165 points.

Daniel Abramowicz, a senior at West Valley High who captured the Alaska Division 1 state title Oct. 9, demonstrated he had plenty of strength and speed still to showcase, rallying to edge Luke Stefanou of Palos Verdes High in California by a 15:08.9 to 15:09.6 margin in the Division 3-4-5 boys team sweepstakes race.

Abramowicz ran 16:16 during his 2019 trip to Mt. SAC to place 22nd in the Division 3-4-5 team sweepstakes, helping West Valley finish 17th overall.

Following a 72-81 victory Oct. 9 over West Anchorage in the Division 1 state final, the Wolfpack were sixth overall Friday with 167 points, as Palos Verdes led a trio of California Division 3 programs with 101 points to secure the team title, with Stefanou being supported by a third-place finish from William Kirk (15:23.6).

Abramowicz wasn’t the only Alaska state champion to secure a victory Friday, as Division 1 girls winner Robyn Miller of South Anchorage prevailed in a Division 4 girls varsity race in 19:01.3, followed by teammate and fellow junior Elliana Zock in 19:10.6, leading the Wolverines to the team triumph as well with 67 points.

Zock was fourth overall at the Division 1 state final for South Anchorage, which placed runner-up to Chugiak by a 42-68 margin.

Joshua Bell, a sophomore at Templeton, ran 15:07.2 to prevail in one of three Division 3 varsity races, a mark that ranked fourth overall among all male competitors Friday. Only six athletes ran under 15:10.

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History for Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational
YearResultsVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2023 2 156 9    
2022 1 142 8    
2021 1 169 8 607  
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