Auge Martin Edges Out Olly O'Connor To Win Boys D3,4&5 Team Sweepstakes Race; Foothill Technology Wins Team Title

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Ken Martinez photo

Abigail Errington didn't let a 19-second deficit at the mile deter her from the mission on Friday at the 76th Mt. SAC Invitational presented by Nike. 

Errington chased Chiara Dailey of La Jolla CA throughout much of the Girls D3,4&5 Team Sweepstakes race and closed the gap before reaching the track surface at Hilmer Lodge Stadium. 

Errington went by a kept going, winning the race on Mt. SAC's revamped 3.0-mile course in 16:57. 

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST SATURDAY OF 76TH MT. SAC CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY NIKE WITH RUNNERSPACE+PLUS

And as it turned out, Errington's team needed that one point. 

South Pasadena pulled out a 64-65 victory over Cathedral Catholic in a very tight team race. Cathedral Catholic led by nine points with a mile to go. 

Dailey, ranked No. 6 in the DyeStat rankings and second at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in September, won at Mt. SAC last year by 30 seconds. And the way she tore off the starting line, it looked like she might win by even more. 

Dailey went through the mile in 5:21 compared to the 5:40 of Errington and La Canada's Maya Debrouwer.

The second half of the high school division of the Mt. SAC Invitational is Saturday and will include the sweepstakes races for the larger D1&D2 schools.

In the girls individual sweepstakes race, Ayanna Hickey of The Bishop's School held off the charging Gabriella Peters from Sage Creek to win as both hit the finish line in 17:56.

Sage Creek won the team title with 78 points. 

In the Boys D3, 4&5 Team Sweepstakes, Auge Martin of St. Francis won a thrilling race against Olly O'Connor of Viewpoint. The two were neck and neck in the final straightaway on the track and Martin pulled it out by a step as they both crossed in 15:02.

Foothill Technology won the team title with 106 points and South Pasadena was second with 136. West Torrance (141) and Agoura (145) were close behind.

Zion Ortiz powered away from his competition on the downhills late in the individual sweepstakes race and the Burroughs (Ridgecrest) senior won by seven seconds in 15:03. 

Oliver Clippinger-Zimmerman of Thousand Oaks and Liam Miller from South Torrance led Ortiz by three seconds at the 2-mile split. 

Ortiz helped his team win the title with 92 points. Sage Creek was second with 107 and Moorpark was third with 138.