Lane lowers Woodward Park record to 16:30.3 to repeat in Division 4

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Malibu junior Claudia Lane ran the fastest girls time in Woodward Park history Saturday, covering the 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes, 30.3 seconds to repeat as Division 4 champion, highlighting a day of memorable performances at the CIF State Championships in Fresno, Calif.

Lane eclipsed the 2012 record of 16:39.7 set by former Simi Valley star Sarah Baxter in the Division 1 final. Lane ran 16:45 last year to set the sophomore record and now boasts two of the top eight all-time Woodward Park performances.

RESULTS | PHOTOS | RACE HIGHLIGHTS | INTERVIEWS

Great Oak became the first program in California history to win at least four consecutive titles in both genders, sweeping the Division 1 championships to increase the Wolfpack's all-time total to 11 in the past eight years, all under coach Doug Soles. Ken Reeves secured 11 titles at Nordhoff from 1990-98 and added a 14th overall championship Saturday with another Division 4 girls crown by Foothill Technology.

Great Oak secured its sixth consecutive Division 1 girls crown with a 71-103 victory over Buchanan, which produced the division's first sweep of the top two spots by one school since Agoura's Amy Skieresz and Kay Nekota went 1-2 in 1993. Great Oak and Buchanan secured the two girls automatic berths to compete Dec. 2 at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore.

Corie Smith became Buchanan's first state individual winner since Hagen Reedy in 2011, clocking 17:16.7, and teammate Meagen Lowe ran 17:19.8, but Great Oak had Fatima Cortes take fourth (17:32.1), Tori Gaitan finish sixth (17:35.9) and four-time team championship member Sandra Pflughoft place ninth (17:55.7) to lead the Wolfpack to a seventh Division 1 championship overall.

Carlos Carvajal finished eighth (15:23) for Great Oak, which became the fourth boys team in state history to win at least four consecutive titles -- joining Woodcrest Christian, Barstow and McFarland -- with a 75-90 victory over Roosevelt. Tyler Spencer secured third in 15:11.8 and Raymon Ornelas finished seventh in 15:19.4 for the Mustangs, who elevated from third place last year to join Great Oak as the automatic qualifiers to Nike Cross Nationals.

Flintridge Prep became the fourth girls program in state history -- joining Saugus, Great Oak and San Francisco University -- to win at least four straight titles, capturing the Division 5 championship by a 74-120 margin over 10-time winner University.

Gabi Bennett joined Pflughoft in being a member of four state championship teams, finishing 39th for the Rebels, who had senior Sophie Gitlin earn her third career all-state honor by placing fifth in 18:32.9.

Sonoma Academy senior Rylee Bowen became the fourth female athlete in Division 5 to win at least three individual titles, rebounding from a sixth-place finish last season to earn her fourth all-state honor by prevailing in 18:17.9.

University won its first Division 5 boys team title with a 100-120 victory over Thacher, with Flintridge Prep senior Evan Pattinelli capturing the program's second individual state title in 15:38.7.

St. Francis Mountain View won its third overall boys title, including its second in Division 2, with a 57-111 triumph over Dublin. Shyam Kumar was third (15:23), Eric Eng placed 11th (15:37.4) and Colton Colonna secured 14th (15:40.4) for the Lancers, who earned one of four boys at-large berths across the country to Nike Cross Nationals.

Claremont earned its first girls at-large berth to NXN after repeating as Division 2 girls champion with a 69-100 win over Saugus. Sydney Hwang (18:12) was 10th, Tess Rounds (18:18.9) took 12th and Azalea Segura-Mora (18:36.3) finished 19th as the Wolfpack had all five scorers in the top 35.

Capistrano Valley senior Haley Herberg captured the individual title, running 16:59.9, the No. 2 time in division finals history behind only Baxter's 16:43 from 2013. Herberg became the 10th California female to run under 17 minutes at Woodward Park.

Campolindo secured its fourth Division 3 girls championship, including a third in the past eight years, prevailing 101-132 over Vista del Lago.

The Cougars faced a projected 12-point deficit behind La Costa Canyon with one mile remaining, but their fortunes improved when race leader Kristin Fahy, a junior for the Mavericks, collapsed with less than a kilometer remaining and didn't finish, requiring on-site medical attention. La Costa Canyon, led by McKenna Brown's second-place finish in 18:02.5, still rallied for a third-place team result with 142 points.

Campolindo had Jenna Miles place 12th (18:43.4) and Emma Overell finish 15th (18:53.4), relying on four seniors in the top 40 and five scorers among the first 45 finishers.

Larkspur Redwood made history twice, as senior Gillian Wagner won the Division 3 title in 17:49.3, following teammate Glennis Murphy as individual champion, becoming the division's first girls teammates to win in consecutive years since Corona del Mar's Annie St. Geme and Sarah Cummings in 2005-06.

Wagner and junior Liam Anderson, the Division 3 boys winner in 15:10.3, became the first teammates to sweep both individual titles in the same year in division history. It marked the second year in a row one school achieved the feat, following St. Joseph Notre Dame's Cooper Teare and Kiera Marshall in Division 5 last year.

West Torrance, relying on Rory Abberton (15:53) and Caleb Terrill (15:54.3) placing seventh and eighth, captured its first Division 3 boys championship with a 63-170 victory over La Costa Canyon.

Foothill Tech, led by Blythe Blakeman taking eighth in 18:36.6, became the first Division 4 girls team to repeat since JSerra in 2011-12, securing a 59-138 win over Sage Creek, led by Skyler Wallace taking ninth in 18:37.4.

Cathedral captured its first Division 4 boys title, relying on Alexander Cantu taking sixth (16:00) and Tyriq Granillo finishing 11th (16:08.2) to hold off Sir Francis Drake by a 73-98 margin. Anthony Grover won the individual crown in 15:31.5, becoming the second champion from JSerra in three years, following Andrew Burkhardt in 2015.