Dorostkar elevates to No. 4 all-time performer at Woodward Park following Division 1 title; Sage Creek produces fastest team time by any San Diego program to secure back-to-back Division 4 championships

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

FRESNO – They came from the docile temperatures and cool outdoors of the greater San Diego area, which boasts landmarks that laud phrases such as “where the surf meets the turf.”

Then they came to California’s Central Valley and acted like there was some sort of hostile takeover occurring, despite the cold, the rain, and despite seemingly always being overlooked on a state-wide scale.

It was a day for America’s Finest City on one of the country’s grandest stages in high school cross country at the CIF State Championships.

RESULTS | PHOTOS | INTERVIEWS

Canyon Crest Academy senior Carlie Dorostkar opened eyeballs Saturday across Woodward Park after winning the Division 1 individual championship in San Diego Section record time, in front of a seasoned runner that calls the 5-kilometer layout her home course.

A couple of hours later, Sage Creek of Carlsbad, came within what is perceived to be a hair of earning a Nike Cross Nationals berth out of Division 4, winning a second consecutive state championship and eclipsing the all-time, top team performance for a San Diego Section team.

Yes, it was quite the day.

It was a result Sage Creek had been looking for since the summer. And the Bobcats did it after overcoming injuries at different parts of the season by running their best when it counted the most.

Senior Skyler Wallace led the way, placing second in 17 minutes, 48.2 seconds as four Sage Creek runners placed in the top nine on the way to tallying 44 points. Their team time of 90:58.6 is the all-time record for a San Diego Section team and routed the previous Division 4 record established by Santa Cruz in 2015 by nearly three minutes.

“I’m super happy,” said Wallace, a Northern Arizona commit. “I gave it everything I had and that’s all I can ask for myself, so I’m super proud and I’m looking forward to next week, at either NXN or Foot Locker Regionals.”

Wallace battled with and then chased Foothill Tech junior Brooke Secreto, who won in 17:33.4. And perhaps some of the Bobcats’ success came from a mindset that set the tone from Wallace.

“I had my strategy going into the race, I was going for the win,” she said. “I wasn’t going for time. I wasn’t going for second place. I was going for the win.

“(Secreto) stuck with me when I thought I could break her and the rest of the field, but props to her, she stuck with me. She got out ahead on the hill and she stayed the same difference from me the rest of the race, but I just couldn’t make up the ground.”

Mayfield junior Audrey Suarez, last year’s champion, was third in 17:53.3. Sage Creek’s Lavanya Pandey followed, placing fourth in 18:00.6.

“We’re so proud,” Pandey said. “Man, everyone going into this race already knew that NXN would be a cherry on top. But today, we were running for each other, we were going to leave everything out there. So many of us – Natalie (Huestis), Skyler, myself – we’re all graduating. This is the race we were all going to do our best. I’m so proud of everyone today.”

Rounding out the Bobcats’ four runners in the top nine were sophomore Stormy Wallace (sixth, 18:04.5) and freshman Malia Leupold (ninth, 18:13.9). Natalie Huestis was Sage Creek’s fifth scorer, placing 31st in 18:51.4.

Sage Creek became just the third girls team in San Diego Section history to win two state titles (San Pasqual in 1990 and 2001; La Jolla in 1989-90) and the first to win back-to-back championships in the same division.

The team time beat La Costa Canyon’s former San Diego Section mark of 91:05 from 2010, and was far better than the 2015 division mark of 93:55 by Santa Cruz.

In fact, the Bobcats became only the eighth girls program ever to run under 91 minutes at Woodward Park, half of which achieved the feat Saturday.

They didn’t wind up getting the NXN at-large berth, which went to Division 2 champion Newbury Park, but they certainly took their best shot.

“If we’re going to make it,” Skyler Wallace said earlier in the day, “this was the performance that we needed to accomplish.”

Dorostkar was just as impressive. Running against a senior competing for the final time on her home course, Dorostkar took the race right to Buchanan senior Corie Smith from the outset.

The Canyon Crest Academy standout led nearly wire to wire and won in 16:45.4.

“I’ve never really done that on this course before,” Dorostkar said, “and I did not expect it to happen, either. I was ready to have to fight my way up. But I think where our box was placed and having a lot of people to the right and we were over to the left, I was able to get around people a lot easier than I have been.”

She stayed the entire race ahead of Smith, who ran 17:00.

“I think through the whole race, I thought Corie is going to come up because this is her course,” Dorostkar said. “She knows how to run it, so maybe she’s like, sitting behind me.”

So when did she relax?

“When people were saying, ‘Oh, you have 50 yards,’” Dorostkar said.

She wound up not only defeating the 2009 San Diego Section record of 17:06 by Rancho Bernardo’s Molly Grabill, but she also elevated to the No. 4 all-time performer at Woodward Park, bested only by Malibu’s Claudia Lane, Simi Valley’s Sarah Baxter and Santa Rosa’s Julia Stamps, who have combined to win nine individual state championships.

“I did not expect that to happen,” said Dorostkar, who improved from 17:26.3 in the championship race Oct. 12 at the ASICS Clovis Invitational to become the 10th girl ever to break 17 minutes at Woodward Park, a list that also includes Smith’s winning mark of 16:53.9.

“I was thinking, ‘top five, maybe.’ But being out front in the beginning, it was like, ‘Oh, boy.’”

There were a host of solid individual performances from San Diego, too.

Dorostkar’s teammate, junior Elizabeth Emberger, placed ninth in Division 1 in 17:50.3. The two of them pushed Canyon Crest Academy to a fourth-place team finish with 174 points, behind only Buchanan, Great Oak and Saugus.

Del Norte freshman Hannah Riggins placed 13th in 18:01.2.

In Division 3, Mission Vista junior Bella Longo placed third in 17:46.8, behind two-time winner Riley Chamberlain of Del Oro (17:16.0) and runner-up Savannah Scriven of Palos Verdes (17:22.5). El Capitan freshman Amber Chase finished seventh in 18:09.5.

“Amazing,” Longo said. “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better season.”

And then Division 5 was a gold mine for San Diego Section individuals, as well.

On the boys side, San Diego runners went 3-4-5, with Chula Vista High Tech senior Drake Prince finishing third (15:44.2), Francis Parker sophomore Kenan Pala placing fourth (15:46.1) and Maranatha Christian senior Riley Burns finishing fifth in 15:48.7.

In Division 5 girls, San Diego athletes went 7-8-9-10.

Santa Fe Christian sophomore Eloise Martenson was seventh in 18:36.8, El Cajon Christian junior Alaina Zamorano was eighth in 18:42.9 and Pacific Ridge freshman twins Elsa Steer and Clara Steer were ninth and 10th, respectively, in 18:44.7 and 18:45.3.