SGV League Championship Finals Meets

The Start of the 2018 Rio Hondo League Boys Varsity Race

We will do our best to provide results and photos from the San Gabriel Valley’s Championship Finals meets, which begin this Saturday.

Here’s the schedule (with links to live results)

Send photos to bramseyjr@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 30

  • Miramonte League@ Bonelli Park in San Dimas - Bassett defended their league championship in both the boys and girls races. Individual champs were Nicolas Castillo-Davidson (Sr, Edgewood) and Claudia Gonzalez (Sr, Bassett), with Nicolas repeating from 2018. In the boys race Edgewood and Garey advance to CIF, along with Efrain Carrillo of Ganesha. For the girls, Ganesha and Edgewood move on.

Saturday, November 2

  • Palomares League @ Whittier Narrows (Legg Lake) in South El Monte  Live Results Claremont defended both titles, with Glendora moving up to advance to CIF on both sides for the first time in several years. Jack Keough-Lansford led a 1-2-3 Wolfpack finish, and Daniel Echeveste (Jr, Bonita) advanced individually. Soph Maddie Coles crushed the field and the League course record to lead the Claremont girls. .
  • Prep League @ Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Full Results  Audrey Suarez (Jr, Mayfield) easily defended her title and led the Cubs to a big win. Just as big was Flintridge Prep finishing fourth behind Poly and missing CIF for the first time in a looonng time.  The FP boys were champs again and advance to CIF along with Poly. FP junior Hudson Billock was the individual champ in 16:05 on this tough, hilly course.

Tuesday, November 5

  • Almont League @ Whittier Narrows (Legg Lake) in South El Monte  Full Results  Schurr (boys) and Alhambra (girls) defended their league titles. Spartan junior Armando Morales won his third championship, while the Moors Milan Cambon won the girls race. Alhambra (making a big jump from 5th last year) and Montebello and Jason Phung (Jr, San Gabriel) will advance to CIF on the boys side, while Schurr, Montebello and Gloria Lu (Sr, Mark Keppel) and Jimena Vasquez (Sr, Bell Gardens) will move on from the girls.
  • Baseline League @ Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga – Live Results  Damien finished 5th in this tough league of Div. 1 schools but the Spartans will advance to CIF through their rankings in the Div. III polls. St. Lucy’s was 6th but Alexis Corvese (7th/19:17) will advance individually
  • Hacienda League @ Bonelli Park in San Dimas

Wednesday, November 6

  • Camino Del Rey Association @ La Mirada Regional Park – Live Results
  • Mission Valley League @ Whittier Narrows (Legg Lake) in South El Monte – Live Results
  • Mission/Sunshine Leagues @ Crescenta Valley Regional Park – Live Results
  • Valley Vista League @ Bonelli Park in San Dimas

Thursday, November 7

  • Del Rio League @ Whittier Narrows (Legg Lake) in South El Monte
  • Horizon League @ Griffith Park in Los Angeles
  • Montview League @ Schabarum Regional Park in Rowland Heights
  • Mt. Baldy League @ Bonelli Park in San Dimas  Live Results 
  • Pacific League @ Arcadia County Park  Live Results
  • Rio Hondo League @ Lacy Park in San Marino
  • San Joaquin League @ Irvine Regional Park  Live Results
  • Suburban League @ La Mirada Regional Park  Live Results

Friday, November 8

  • Olympic League at Craig Park in Fullerton

Sorry About the (Lack of) Coverage This Year

If you’ve been coming back to this spot looking for the coverage we were able to do last year – sorry.

I started again this Fall, thinking I’d be able to maintain the coverage of San Gabriel Valley Cross Country again. But starting a new job in September took all of my available time and I had to let things lapse. I’m hoping to pick things up again for the Championship season.

I am excited, though, about that new job, and the way it connects to SGV Track & XC. I am now a full time Coach (sprints and long & triple jumps) and the Recruiting Coordinator at Whittier College. I’m happy to join the resurgence of the Poet program and would love to talk with local athletes and their families about our school and team. You can reach me at bramsey@whittier.edu

Thanks – Bob Ramsey

Six Athletes with Seven All-Time Performances on the Championship Courses

Arroyo’s Saket Sama, along with Nick DiConti at last year’s MVL Meet

Championship cross country for SGV schools is run over two courses. The State Championship has been held since its beginning in 1987 on the rolling 5000m course at Woodward Park in Fresno. For many years, the Southern Section Championships and several league championships were held on the hilly 2.93 mile course at Mt.SAC. But with Mt.SAC’s prolonged renovations and the apparent preferences of Southern Section officials, the CIF meets have, since 2016, been held on the mostly flat 3 mile Riverside Cross Country Course.

Jonathan Zavala from Wilson

We’ve created the San Gabriel Valley All-Time Top 50 Performers lists for all three of these courses. The lists include times from all the meets held on these three courses, so they include results from CIF Prelims, and the Mt.SAC, Riverside and Clovis Invites, and from the years when the National XC champs were run at Woodward Park.

SGV athletes all made their first visits to the three courses this month, with five athletes joining the All-Time Top 50 for the first time, and onlinecasinogo.com one improving his place.

South Pas soph Sydney Morrow at last year’s RHL meet

At the Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno on October 12, South Pasadena soph Sydney Morrow announced her arrival among the SGV elite with 18:21/4th place finish in the Medium Schools race. Sydney now ranks =34th All-Time SGV on this course.

At the Riverside Invitational last Saturday, Gerald Beltzer (La Serna, Sr) moved up to 21st A-T SGV on this 3 mile course with his 15:16/7th place finish in the Div. 1 race. Previously ranked on this course with his 15:25 from CIF Finals last year, Gerald moves up to #21 A-T SGV. He’s joined in the top 50 by Wilson’s Jonathan Zavala, whose big senior year advanced with another big step – a 15:30 finish, good for =46th A-T SGV.

Maddie Franco

Also at Riverside, La Serna senior Maddie Franco – able to compete in Varsity races this year after transferring last year, made up for lost time with a 18:23/9th place finish in the D1 race. She now ranks =39th A-T SGV.

This past weekend at the Mt.SAC Invitational, South Pas soph Sydney Morrow earned her second spot on the All-Times lists. She was 3rd/18:14 in the Div. 3/4/5 Sweepstakes race in the heat of Friday afternoon and now ranks =39th A-T SGV.

Pasadena’s Isaiah Givens

Also on Friday, Arroyo junior Saket Sama took a huge step forward with a 2nd/15:09 finish in the boys Div.3/4/5 sweeps. He’s now =34th SGV on the course. Pasadena soph Isaiah Givens was the winner of the Div. 3/4/5 individual Sweepstakes in 15:11, and now ranks =41st All-Time SGV here.

You can view the All-Time Lists for all three courses here:

Since most schools do not maintain all-time lists, these lists are the best I can do by scouring the internet for available results. Please send additions or corrections to the lists to Bob Ramsey at bramseyjr@gmail.com