Baxter runs to another title; Westlake boys, Thacher girls earn CIF crowns

Boys team wins first CIF title; Baxter cruises to third straight

• By Derry Eads
• Posted November 17, 2012 at 5:56 p.m.

WALNUT — Joe Snyder lifted his right hand to an ear to catch the faint sound of announcement of team scores.

The Westlake High boys cross country coach had brought strong teams to the CIF-Southern Section Finals at Mount San Antonio College before.

His 2004 team was runner-up by eight points to Loyola in the Division 2 final.

So he was cautiously optimistic this time until three supporters rushed up with the news that Westlake had indeed won the program's first boys section title by a 33-point margin over runner-up Saugus.

Westlake joined Thacher (Division 5 girls) as Ventura County's 2012 team champions.

Other area team qualifiers for the Nov. 24 state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno were: Oak Park, Division 3 boys and girls; Simi Valley, Division 1 girls; Fillmore, Division 4 boys; La Reina, Division 4 girls, and Thacher, Division 5 boys.

Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley became the fifth three-time individual champion from the county when she bettered the venue's rain course record in 15 minutes, 53 seconds for three miles to capture the Division 1 title.

Tight-pack running enabled Westlake, ranked third in the state, to claim the plaque. There was only a 44-second gap between the Warriors' top runner, Mikey Giguere (seventh in 14:18), and fifth scorer, Graham Rigby.

Key for Westlake was the finish of No. 3 runner Sean O'Bryan, who had been slowed for most of the season with cardiovascular problems.

"We felt that we had a pretty good team, but not a lot of depth," said Snyder. "We had to keep everybody healthy. It was a difficult balancing act.

"I am so proud of them and not just for their races. These are the most humble guys."

To Giguere, the season made a turn for the better when Westlake won the Marmonte League championship.

"That's when we knew we had a high-caliber team," he said.

Placing all five scorers in the top 30, separated by only 39 seconds, Thacher won by 29 seconds over defending champion Xavier Prep.

The top four Thacher runners were packed in a 13-second margin.

"That is something that we have practiced all year," said Melanie Reimer, who was 15th individually in 18:15.

Besides Baxter, other three-time section girls cross country champions are: Nordhoff's Elaine Canchola (a four-time winner), Newbury Park's Melissa Sutton (1984-86), Fillmore's Maribella Aparicio and Thousand Oaks' Kim Mortensen.

As usual, Baxter pulled away from a deep Division 1 field early, cruised into the finish chute then sprinted to the final straightaway to lend support to her teammates.

"At the turns (on the course), I could see how they were doing (throughout the race)," said Baxter.

Simi Valley ran well as a team — its No. 2-5 time gap was 30 seconds — but the Pioneers could not match Great Oak, which won by 25 points.

"Great Oak is very deep and talented," said Simi Valley coach Roger Evans. "We knew going in that beating them was going to be formidable. When you are running against well-conditioned athletes and give them a head start, it is hard to catch them."

Ventura's Hannah Kirkegaard qualified for the state meet as an individual by placing fourth in the Division 1 girls race in 16:29.

Also advancing as an individual was Moorpark's Monika Gyalay, who was 10th in the Division 2 girls final in 16:43.

Led by the fourth- and fifth-place finishes of Patrick Thedinga (14:27) and county champion Sahm Bazargan (14:27), Oak Park advanced in Division 3 boys.

"This is what we have been gunning for all year," Thedinga said.

Ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 4 boys for most of the season, Fillmore placed third.

The Flashes look forward to a rematch at the state meet, said top runner Hugo Valdovinos, who was eighth in 14:53.

"If a team challenges us, we will challenge them to the finish line," he said.

The first three Thacher boys runners were packed within six seconds, helping the Toads to place third in Division 5.

Not listed among the top 10 teams in Division 3 girls, Oak Park qualified sixth. Freshman Brittney Blackwell was 14th in the race in 17:25. The Oak Park lineup included three freshmen and one sophomore.

One of the Division 4 girls favorites, 2008 section champion La Reina, qualified fifth. Ariana Brajkovich (17:56) and Alyssa Frank (17:57) were 16th and 17th.