California State Meet
1998 Cross Country
History of the Meet
from the CIF web
site
WOODWARD PARK HOST SITE FOR 12TH ANNUAL CIF STATE
CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Woodward Park will again be the site for the 12th annual CIF State Cross
Country Championships on Saturday, November 28. The first race (boys’ Division I)
will begin at 8:30 a.m. The girls’ Division V race will be the final last event at
1:20 p.m. The state cross country championships have been held at Woodward Park since its
inception in 1987.
Athletes to watch include defending state champions Sara Bei of Montgomery Santa Rosa
High School and Trina Cox of Santa Rosa High. Lauren Fleshman (Canyon, Canyon Country) and
Allyson Marquand (University, Irvine) are potential state champions who als return to
Fresno.
On the boys’ side Josh Spiker (Ventura), Alfonso Leon (Santa Ana), Marcus Chandler
(Serra, San Diego) and Andrew Hill (Los Altos) all have legitimate shots at a state title.
In the team race, Nordhoff of Ojai could add a championship in both the boys’ and
girls’ competition, which the Rangers have done two previous times. In all, Nordhoff
boys’ and girls’ have garnered 10 championships. The boys’ will be looking
for a seventh title, the girls’ a fifth. Long Beach Poly is also making a strong run
for a second straight title in the boys’ division I competition. (see also cross
country rankings for list of top teams).
HISTORY OF THE EVENT
1997 Championships
The girls’ team from University High School (San Francisco) set an all-time record
for points scored (18) en route to its second straight Division V title. Two other teams
distinguished themselves as both the Jesuit (Carmichael) boys’ team and the Nordhoff
(Ojai) boys’ team won their fifth overall titles. Only McFarland, with six
championships, has won more in the boys’ field. Individually, Isaish Festa of Morro
Bay won his second championship and Elaine Canchola of Nordhoff took her second overall
title. In the process of winning the Division IV crown, Festa set a divisional record of
15:18. Kira Morser of University also set the individual standard in Division V (18:47).
1996 Championships
The McFarland High boys’ cross country team accomplished a feat that no other
school in state championships history has accomplished - winning five straight titles.
McFarland bested its own record of 40 points with 29 to claim the Division V CIF State
Championship at the 10th annual event held at Fresno’s Woodward Park on
Saturday, November 30. Overall, McFarland has now won six state titles. Only Crenshaw Los
Angeles with seven state basketball crowns has won more titles than McFarland in any state
championship sport. While McFarland highlighted team competition, Julia Stamps was again
an individual standout. Stamps broke her own Division I record with a sizzling 16:43
finish for her third title and fifth overall including track and field. Last year, Stamps
had set the Division I mark of 16:45 to become the first girl in California history to
topple the 17-minute mark. Carondelet’s Kristen Gordon broke the Division III record
with a time of 17:17 in that race. Elaine Canchola of Nordhoff had set the record of 17:36
the previous year. Behind Canchola’s second place finish in Division IV, the Nordhoff
girls claimed their fourth overall title moving the Rangers past Palos Verdes, Agoura and
Newport Harbor for the most titles ever won in girls’ competition. As of 1996, the
Nordhoff boys and girls combined for eight titles in cross country.
1995 Championship
Junior Julia Stamps was again a headliner as the Santa Rosa High star easily eclipsed
her own mark and set a course record of 16:45 and Nordhoff Ojai boys’ and girls’
each garnered CIF State Championships at the 1995 championships. Coach Ken Reeves saw his
Nordhoff boys’ team take their fourth state championships and his girls’ team
with their third title - a combined seven for both squads. McFarland boys’ proceeded
to win the Division IV title to move past Nordhoff and Jesuit with five overall
championships, including four straight (1992-95). It was a record-setting day as five
state marks were erased. Besides Stamps, Elaine Canchola (Nordhoff High) also set an
individual record of 17:36 - 15 seconds better than the previous mark of 17:51 by Katie
McCandless of Castilleja. Three team records were set as Louisville High took its first
title in Division IV girls’ competition. Nordhoff bested Sherman Indian High’s
mark of 58 points with 35 in the Division III boys’ team race and McFarland broke its
own record of 61 points with 40 in the Division IV boys’ competition.
1994 Championships
Under wet and muddy conditions, Stamps turned in perhaps the finest performance ever in
the state cross country championships. Despite the conditions, Stamps still managed to set
a record, crossing the chute in 17:06 to win the Division I title. Other highlights from
1994 included Heather Garritson’s (sister of Carrie) individual title in the Division
III girls’ race. Garritson, a freshman at Buena Park High, outdistanced another
freshman - Elaine Canchola of Nordhoff Ojai (18:01-18:07) - to take the title. Carrie and
Heather become the first sister combination to win state crowns in cross country. Carrie
won titles for Rim of the World Lake Arrowhead in 1990 (Division III) and for Buena Park
in 1993 (Division II). Amy Skieresz of Agoura took her second straight title in 1994, this
time in Division II, with a finish of 18:12. Skieresz was the Division I champ in 1993.
Galvin Gonzalez of McFarland and Kristen Schreiber of Miramonte Orinda were also repeat
champs. In the 1994 team competition, McFarland claimed its fourth title. Thousand Oaks
boys were another highlight winning their second straightchampionship in Division I with
an amazing 38 points. Thousand Oaks had three boys - Jeff Fischer (3rd), Keith
O’Doherty (6th) and Kevin Marsden (9th) - in the top 10.
1993 Championships
Thousand Oaks High, behind the running of Jeff Fischer and Kevin Marsden, turned in a
fantastic team finish with a record 23 points to win the 1993 Division I boys’
championships. Mebraton Keflezig turned in an outstanding effort in winning an individual
title in Division I (15:02) and Amy Skieresz won her first title in the girls’
Division I race (17:49). Matt Farley of Jesuit Carmichael High edged Devin Elizando of
Mission Bay in the Division II boys’ race. That proved significant as Jesuit beat
Mission Bay by one point (70-71) to win the Division II team title. Galvan Gonzalez, an
individual titlist, paced McFarland to another title in Division IV.
1992 Championships
McFarland High boys took the first of five straight state championships in 1992.
Fallbrook’s Milena Glusac took her second straight title just missing her personal
best with a 17:14. Nordhoff finished second in both the boys’ and girls’
Division IV competition.
1991 Championships
Fallbrook High’s Glusac set a Division I girls’ record with a time of 17:13
to win the 1991 individual title in that division. Glusac’s mark held until
Stamps’ broke it in 1994. Hart boys and Agoura girls both repeated as team champions
in Division I. Newport Harbor, in Division III girls, won its third CIF State Championship
and Nordhoff Ojai pulled off a double, taking both the boys’ and girls’ Division
IV team crowns. Shelley Taylor of Edison and Daniel Das Neves of Helix both emerged with
individual titles in 1991.
1990 Championships
The state cross country championships expanded to include four divisions in 1990. The
emergence of Hart High School, which won the Division I boys championship (58 points) was
one of the stories. Hart went on to win three straight titles with standouts like Keith
Grossman and Brett Strahan leading the way. The Agoura girls’ team also broke through
with its first championship in 1990 with a record 41 points. San Pasqual High took a rare
double winning both the Division II boys’ and girls’ state championships. The 38
points for the San Pasqual girls’ team is still a record. La Jolla High girls also
set a record with 31 points in winning the Division III title. Carrie Garritson of Rim of
the World High and Jeff Wilson of Newbury Park, both took the first of their two
individual titles.
1989 Championships
Dameworth again played a starring role at the 1989 meet, setting a Division I record of
14:45 en route to his third individual title. Dameworth outdistanced Luis Quintana of
Arroyo Grande (14:59). Deena Drossin of Agoura won her second title, but Palos Verdes
edged Agoura (65-75) for its third team title. Bret Harte High repeated as team titlists
in the Division III girls’ final.
1988 Championships
There were three repeat winners at the 1988 meet; Dameworth in Division I boys
(15:03.2), Scott Hempel in Division II boys (15:15) and Kira Jorgensen in Division I girls
(17:42). Bret Harte girls won the first of its two state titles with 54 points in Division
III. Newport Harbor (girls Division II) and Palos Verdes (girls Division I) were repeat
champions on the team side.
1987 Championships
In its first year of existence in 1987, Bryan Dameworth of Agoura outdistanced Goshu
Tadese of Crawford (15:12-15:13) for his first of what turned out to be a record three
championships. Deena Drossin, also of Agoura, won the first of her three titles as well.
Other individual winners that first year were Scott Hempel of Walnut in Division II who
took his first of two championships (15:22.1), Reggie Williams in Division III (15:29),
Kira Jorgensen of Rancho Buena Vista in Division II girls (17:34) - her first of two
straight titles, and Katy McCandless of Castilleja in Division III (17:51). In the team
competition, the Arroyo boys behind the efforts of Jamie Ortega (4th) and Jeff
Gilkey (6th) ran away with the Division I title with 41 points, while Palos
Verdes won the first of three straight championships in the Division I girls competition.
Ashley Black, a sixth place finisher, was an individual standout for PalosVerdes.
General Notes
Since its beginnings, only three individuals have won three championships.
Interestingly, two of those competed for Agoura High - Dameworth (boys) and Drossin
(girls) while the other was Santa Rosa’s Julia Stamps. Five boys and seven girls have
won two individual titles apiece. For the boys’ two-time winners are Hempel of
Walnut, Wilson of Newbury Park, Gonzalez of McFarland, Lynbrook High’s Jason Balkman
and Festa of Morro Bay. Two-time individual champs for the girls include Glusac of
Fallbrook, Jorgensen of Rancho Buena Vista, Skieresz of Agoura, Carrie Garritson of Rim of
the World and Buena Park, Kristen Schreiber of Miramonte Orinda, Annie Ebiner of St.
Lucy’s and Canchola of Nordhoff. McFarland leads the way with six team crowns in
boys’ competition. While Nordhoff Ojai leads the girls’ with four titles. Jesuit
and Nordhoff have each garnered five championships in the boys’ competition.
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