Great Oak spins a pair of all-time records to sweep grand sweepstakes titles for fourth straight year

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

For all the historical achievements celebrated by the Great Oak CA cross country program at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational, the Wolfpack delivered the most impressive showcase in the meet’s 70-year history Saturday.

Great Oak became the first school to set boys and girls all-time team records in the same year since the 2.93-mile course was updated in 2000, with both lineups capturing their fourth consecutive grand sweepstakes championships in Walnut, Calif.

RESULTS - Saturday | Friday

Great Oak’s boys had all seven runners in the top 26 in the Division 1-2 team sweepstakes, securing a 40-76 victory over Loyola CA and lowering their team record to 74 minutes, 31 seconds. The Wolfpack improved on a 74:47 effort from 2015, a team that went on to win Nike Cross Nationals.

Carlos Carvajal (14:42.7) was third, Jacob Korgan (14:47.8) took sixth and Tyler Tickner (14:52.1) placed seventh for Great Oak, which had Gabe Abbes (15:00.4) secure 10th and Chris Verdugo (15:10.8) finish 14th.

Even Ryan Shields (15:19.9) and Gavin Korby (15:21.2) were the fastest non-scoring runners for a team ever on the Mt. SAC course, which, as a result of construction, didn’t feature the usual finish gauntlet, with athletes completing the final 122 meters on a gradual incline straightaway on the airstrip.

In addition to Great Oak, Loyola also set a program record by placing all five scorers in the top 20 and clocking 75:40, the No. 6 all-time performance. Third-place Crescenta Valley CA had all five scorers in the top 45, led by runner-up Colin FitzGerald (14:40.1), for a school-record 76:16, elevating to No. 11 in course history.

It marked the second time in meet history that two teams both ran under 76:00 – Great Oak (74:47) and Dana Hills (75:58) both achieved the feat in 2015 – and only the second occasion that three teams covered the course in the same race under 76:30, joining Warren (75:31), Arcadia (75:38) and Dana Hills (76:21) at the 2013 CIF Southern Section Division 1 final.

Bellarmine Prep CA senior Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau won the race in 14:33.4, making him the No. 13 all-time performer on the course. His effort was equal to the 16th-fastest race in history.

The legacy extended by the Great Oak girls might even be more impressive than their male counterparts, with the Wolfpack replacing five athletes from last year’s Division 1-2 team sweepstakes championship lineup to prevail by a 45-68 margin over Claremont CA.

Sophomore Tori Gaitan (16:52.3) ran the fastest time in program history, leading five scorers in the top 16 to produce a team record 87:46, improving on the Wolfpack’s 87:58 from the 2013 Southern Section Division 1 final. Great Oak boasts seven of the 16 fastest times in course history.

Fatima Cortes (17:09.8) placed fourth, running the No. 2 time in school history, with Sandra Pflughoft (17:45.8) in 11th, Arianna Griffiths (17:56.3) placing 13th and Audrey Dang (18:04.3) taking 15th for Great Oak, which captured its ninth consecutive Division 1 sweepstakes title.

Claremont became only the seventh school to run under 90 minutes, with all five scorers in the top 20 to clock 89:29 – No. 15 in course history – joining Great Oak, Saugus CA, Simi Valley CA, La Costa Canyon CA, Corona del Mar CA and Mira Costa CA in accomplishing the feat. Sydney Hwang (17:31.3) placed sixth and Azalea Segura Mora (17:45.2) was 10th for Claremont.

It marked the fourth time that two teams ran under 90 minutes in the same race, including the first since 2013, when Simi Valley (89:34) edged Great Oak (89:53) by one point for the grand sweepstakes title. Great Oak broke the 90-minute barrier at the meet for the sixth consecutive year.

Rubidoux CA junior Kevin Ramos won the Division 1-2 individual sweepstakes in 14:39.7, prevailing over Redwood Larkspur CA junior Liam Anderson (14:51.9) in a preview of the Division 3 state final. Fifteen male athletes total broke 15 minutes Friday and Saturday.

Chaparral CA had three athletes in the top nine, led by Antonio Carbajal (15:04.4) placing sixth, to win the team title in the individual sweepstakes by a 102-120 margin over Valencia (Placentia).

Alaska’s West Valley High had all five scorers in the top 40 to win the girls Division 1-2 individual sweepstakes championship with a 95-125 victory over Vacaville CA. Kendall Kramer, the Alaska Division 1 state champion, placed ninth in 17:53.9.