After sweeping top two spots at Southern Section Division 3 final, versatile seniors have Sea Kings ready to challenge for first state title since 2016

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Hearing about a championship longboarder or a classically trained dancer at Palos Verdes High is a common occurrence.

After all, one of the most prestigious schools in Southern California boasts its own surfing team, as well as offering advanced choreography classes.

But when that elite surfer is also a Southern Section cross country champion and the dynamic dancer is a two-time all-state distance runner, it makes for one of the most impressive pairs in the country.

Palos Verdes coach Brian Shapiro refers to scholar-athletes Savannah Scriven and Samantha Steman as “diminutive giants.”

After the 1-2 finish by the seniors served as the catalyst for the Sea Kings to capture a Southern Section Division 3 crown in Riverside, Scriven and Steman helped Palos Verdes take a giant step toward its ultimate dream of winning the program’s seventh team title Saturday at the CIF State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

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“This is what we’ve been working for. Not just winning (Southern Section), but state,” said Steman, who placed fourth in the Division 3 state final in 2017, followed by a sixth-place finish last season.

“We’re so ecstatic about the win because it means we’re one step closer to our final goal.”

It marked the second time in three years that a school had produced the top two girls finishers in the Division 3 section final, with Oak Park’s Sylvia Cruz-Albrecht and Sarah Shulze accomplishing the sweep in 2017.

“It’s awesome when a team can have one good girl and that’s great, but when there’s two and they can feed off each other, it’s almost like there’s more than two and they’re stronger together,” Scriven said. “Having both of us as seniors, it makes everything more meaningful and more exciting, especially for the program, and it’s cool to be a part of that. I was up there and Sam was right there next to me, and leading together, it just means a lot. And having a strong team backing that up as well, it’s an awesome feeling.”

It was also the first time in Palos Verdes history that a pair of female athletes swept the top two spots at the section final, with Fawad Khan and Andrew Ratley achieving the feat for the Sea Kings at the Division 3 boys championship meet in 2006.

The accomplishment was even more impressive for Scriven and Steman, considering Palos Verdes has featured talented tandems Rebecca Mehra and Erica Capellino, Jacquelyn Smith and Camille Hines, along with Mazzy Genovese and Grace Catena, all in the past decade.

“A great frontrunner is enjoyable and a lot of fun, but a great pair is truly special,” Shapiro said. “They join some esteemed girls … Those girls went on to compete for Stanford, USC, LMU/Biola, Villanova and Butler. What amazing company. And to do it with a better combined finish really shows you how special they are.”

As formidable as they have been as a pair for the past three years, Scriven and Steman both have their own personalities and identities, each traveling a unique journey to arrive at their final state cross country meet.

“They have both found great balance in their life. They are outstanding students, but they also are balanced athletes,” Shapiro said. “I think that’s helped both of them through their years at PVHS.”

Scriven was a member of Palos Verdes’ last Division 3 state championship team as a freshman in 2016, contributing to a group that also finished 18th at Nike Cross Nationals. But injuries forced Scriven to miss her entire sophomore season, before she rebounded to place fourth in the Southern Section and fifth at the state final last year.

“It’s extremely rewarding to see Savannah close out her high school cross country career so strongly,” Shapiro said. “Imagine what it was like for her as a freshman. She came in and ran anywhere from fifth to seventh on our best team ever. State titles, records, NXN trips, she must have thought that was normal. Through injury and adversity, to come crashing down and then build back up to an even higher individual peak is a testament to Savannah’s persistence and perseverance.”

Despite the disappointment of losing Scriven for the 2017 season, Shapiro was also blessed with the arrival of Steman, who had competed as a freshman at Evanston Township High in Illinois.

Although the Sea Kings had their streak of eight consecutive podium finishes snapped that year with a fourth-place result at the Division 3 state final, it was Steman’s consistency and selflessness that established the foundation for more prosperity for Palos Verdes in the future.

“I can’t say enough great things about her. She’s an old soul and brings a mature approach to her leadership and her own competition. I’ve never coached an elite runner who could confidently hang back early in a race and then pour it on late. Only the savviest of runners has that skill,” Shapiro said. “Sam is humble, kind, and supportive, but she will stare straight through you with a face of determination when she’s not satisfied. She’s a fierce competitor of the highest magnitude.”

That tactical acumen and desire were on display Oct. 12 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park.

With Scriven running in the top five in the girls championship race against several of the elite competitors in the country, Steman was in 36th place at the mile. She moved up to 27th at the 2.1-mile mark and then passed another dozen athletes in the late stages of the 5-kilometer race to finish 15th in 18:01.2, supporting a fourth-place finish from Scriven (17:24.4).

“I have so many years of endurance under my belt, but I feel like I’m just a lot more durable this year,” Steman said. “We both know that we can go in that last mile and outsprint people.”

Steman and Scriven also understand that’s what will be required, not just from them, but teammates Natalia Gagliano, Claire Hardesty, Emma Nelson, Anna Terrell and Maya Whitcomb, in order to prevail Saturday against Brea-Olinda, Campolindo and Cathedral Catholic.

Palos Verdes led at the mile mark in last season’s final, before being overtaken by Vista del Lago. Although the Sea Kings mounted an impressive comeback in the final mile, the rally wasn’t enough, resulting in a 125-133 setback.

“Through that last mile when it’s going to get really hard and we’re going to be struggling, that’s when we’re going to be thinking that we’re stronger this year than we were last year,” Steman said. “We’re not going to let the course or the other people around us take that away from us.”

When Scriven was asked by a reporter following Palos Verdes’ section championship at Riverside about what kind of impression the Sea Kings would like to make at the state final, her response focused on redemption.

“I like to think one of a comeback,” Scriven said. “Last year at state we lost by eight points and that was a big killer. We were sad about it, but we wanted to come back with confidence and show that when we have that confidence, that’s when we can come out and (change the outcome).”

Few athletes in the state have been racing with more confidence this season than Scriven, who has held her own against some of the country’s elite performers at the Iolani Invitational in Hawaii, as well as the Woodbridge Classic and ASICS Clovis Invitational in her home state.

Scriven also set a program record and produced the No. 2 all-time mark behind Malibu graduate Claudia Lane by clocking 11:36.7 on the Palos Verdes 2-mile course, which features the challenging Agony Hill, one of the toughest uphill climbs on any layout in the country.

“I feel like I’ve always been confident about my racing abilities, ever since I started, knowing that whatever I set my mind to, I tell myself I can do it,” Scriven said. “This year, there have been many times where I didn’t think it could get any higher, but right now, it’s just soaring. I’ve shown throughout the season that I can do it, and it just keeps re-validating (the training).

“It’s just been an amazing feeling and I’m so happy to always have my teammates supporting me because when there are those times that maybe I’m not as confident, they lift me up. It’s been perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better season or a better team, it’s just been awesome.”

And Scriven couldn’t ask for better support from a friend and teammate than Steman, who has continued to place team success ahead of any personal goals.

“I have been running with Savannah for so many years and I’ve been running with all of these girls for so many years and I love them so much,” Steman said. “We know how to work together to do what’s best for the team and I’ll do anything for them. I don’t care if I’m No. 2, No. 1 or No. 3, as long as what we do works toward the greater standing of the team, then it’s all good.”

Scriven hopes to set the tone for the rest of the group in Saturday’s final by becoming Palos Verdes’ first individual state champion since Mehra in 2009. In order to do so, she will have to prevail against last year’s winner, Del Oro sophomore Riley Chamberlain, for the third time this season.

“I want to set pretty lofty goals and high goals and make goals that are hard,” Scriven said. “All races are challenging, but based on how we’ve raced and how we’ve been training and how well we work together as a team, that’s definitely something we’re shooting for and I believe is attainable.”

Although the team title remains the primary goal, Scriven and Steman also have the desire to duplicate their 1-2 finish Saturday, improving on fifth- and sixth-place performances from last year’s state final to match the achievement of former Redwood Larkspur standouts Glennis Murphy and Gillian Wagner in the 2016 Division 3 championship race.

“It’s something that we’ve really been trying to get these past few years,” Steman said. “It would be such a wonderful finish and such a wonderful accomplishment for us to get. If we don’t do it, but we felt great about our individual races, in the end, it’s just the cherry on top of getting that title. But we definitely want it.”