Pacific Coast League runners turn in more fast times at dual meet hosted by Portola

Pacific Coast League cross country athletes turned in more outstanding performances Saturday at the fifth league dual meet event at Portola.

Irvine High’s cross country teams had the bye. Each school in the league is hosting a meet on Saturdays. There will be seven by the time the season wraps up.

The three-mile course started and finished on the athletic stadium at Portola and went through the campus. No fans were allowed to attend although a number watched from a distance.

“We enjoyed great weather and a great atmosphere with a stadium start and finish lined with race chutes, and professional electronic timing services, to accentuate the competition,” said Portola Coach Victor Quiros.

“As the hosting school we utilized all of our parents to serve as course monitors for the safety of the athletes, and for the directional aspects of the course.  It was good for the health and safety of our athletes and good for the parents to experience the same COVID screening procedures including temperature checks that all our athletes have undergone since last fall.

“We also enjoyed the presence of the Portola High School competitive cheer athletes who lined the course and cheered not only for our athletes during the early morning dual meet, but also stayed for the midday meet and cheered athletes from other schools.

“It was also great to see the character of cross country on display around the course as athletes cheered and supported their teammates, and athletes from other schools, at various times throughout the day.

The closed campus protocol for the Pacific Coast League dual meets this season did not stop parents from its schools in their quest to see and support their athletes in the true tradition of cross country.  Parents were in the bushes, on hillsides, and peeking through fences on the campus perimeter near the start and finish lines and in various other areas around the course.  This tremendous support really went a long way to enhance the experience for everyone at the meet.”

“For Portola High School we had season best and personal record performances by our top runners on the boys and girls teams.”

Beckman vs. Portola

Girls meet: Beckman defeated Portola 20-41. Portola’s Jadyn Zdanavage turned in a season best time of 17:28.6 to capture first place. Beckman’s Estella Knobbe was second in 18:06.7 and Beckman’s Joy Weber took third in 18:12.5.

“Sophomore Jadyn Zdanavage (17:28.6) is the defending PCL League champion and she had the fastest girls time of the day,” Quiros said. “She achieved a personal record and the top girls time for the PCL this season.

Boys meet: Beckman defeated Portola 18-42. Beckman’s Joshua Schuld continued his excellent season taking first place in a time of 15:35.3. Beckman’s Zeid Hussain took second in 15:35.4 and Portola’s Nathan Lo was third in 15:54.7.

“Senior Nathan Lo (15:54.7) broke the 16-minute barrier for the first time, and that is a significant achievement for a high school boy runner,” Quiros said. “He placed number six overall for all teams in the meet on Saturday.  He told me he was ‘truly in the zone’ during the race and it was an experience that he would never forget.”

Woodbridge vs. Laguna Hills

Girls meet: Woodbridge defeated Laguna Hills 19-41. The Warriors Sarah Klem took first place in a time of 19:00.7. Woodbridge also took the second and third spots with Lauren Tsai finishing second in 19:45.6 and Mia Washida capturing third in 19:52.1. Giselle Rubio was the top Laguna Hills finisher taking fourth place in a time of 19:53.7.

Boys meet: Woodbridge defeated Laguna Hills 26-29. Woodbridge’s Ryan Welton took first in a time of 15:38.4. Russell Stottlemyer of Woodbridge was second in 15:50.8 and Timothy Lacanienta of Laguna Hills was third in 15:59.6.

University vs. Northwood

Girls race: University defeated Northwood 24-33. University’s Kaitlyn Carmichael took first place in a time of 18:12.5. Teammate Collette Lowengrub was second in 18:20.5. and Northwood’s Emily Odum was third in 20:26.6.

Boys race: Northwood defeated University 19-39. Northwood’s Caden Hornyak was first in a time of 15:44.7, Northwood’s Aaron Li was second in 16:25.3 and University’s Maxim Sorokin was third in 16:37.3.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com