The Metro Conference’s annual cross country championship meet took place last Friday under almost ideal conditions. League championships were on order as well as runner of the year awards.
The 478 runners in the boys and girls varsity and junior varsity races let their feet do the talking as Otay Ranch (boys varsity) and Eastlake (girls varsity) sped to Metro-Mesa League team titles while Southwest (boys varsity) and Hilltop (girls varsity) sewed up Metro-South Bay League championships.
Mar Vista won the girls varsity Metro-Pacific League title while Mar Vista and Castle Park were declared boys varsity Metro-Pacific League co-campions.
It was close in the Metro-Mesa League boys varsity team determination as Otay Ranch edged runner-up Olympian by one point.
“A lot of kids ran really well,” meet director Julian Valdez said. “The course was in great shape. Sebastian Aranda ran an exciting race and impressive race to win the boys varsity while Jaelyn Williams showed why she is still one of the top runners in the state in winning the girls varsity.”
There were 85 runners in the boys varsity race and 74 in the girls varsity race.
Aranda, a senior from Bonita Vista, finished undefeated in league competition, not an easy feat given the talent spread throughout the region. Aranda edged Olympian junior Jack Degenhardt by 0.4 seconds in the teams’ dual meet.
“It was very close in the last mile — I pulled ahead on the last hill,” said Aranda, who has placed among the top 20 runners all four years since he began running as a freshman.
“I’ve watched my places go up each year as I’ve gained experience,” he said.
Williams, a junior from Eastlake, is now a three-time conference champion.
“It’s pretty nice because I had a late start to the season because of an injury,” she said. “I’m recovering well and hoping to perform well at state.”
JV winners included Olympian senior Jordan Mationg (boys) and Eastlake junior Navi Ball (girls).
Metro-South Bay League champion Southwest finished on top of the 13-team boys field with a low score of 47 points to out-pace Olympian (second, 64 Points), Otay Ranch (third, 80 points), Bonita Vista (fourth, 101 points), Eaastlake (fifth, 108 points) and Sweetwater (sixth, 133 points) in a clear break from the rest of the field.
Hilltop was seventh with 203 points, followed by Mater Dei Catholic (eighth, 249 points), San Ysidro (ninth, 276 points), Castle Park (10th, 294 points), Montgomery (11th, 297 points), Mar Vista (12th, 317 points) and Chula Vista (13th, 352 points).
League championships are based on equally-weighted finish in both regular season standings and at league finals. Otay Ranch was 3-0 in dual meets to earn three points while Olympian was 1-2 to earn one point. Olympian earned three points among league teams at last Friday’s finals while Otay Ranch earned two points. Otay Ranch tallied five points in the combined standings while Olympian (short by a 28-29 dual score to Bonita Vista) had four points.
Castle Park and Mar Vista swapped finishes to tie for a Metro-Pacific League co-championship.
Eastlake was the top team in the girls varsity race with a low score of 28 points. It marks the 14th league championship in 15 years for the Metro-Mesa League-leading Lady Titans.
“There’s a really deep tradition of talented freshmen coming on board each year and this year it’s Kareli Rascon as our freshman leader,” EHS coach David Koopman said.
Rascon followed Williams across the finish line, second among individuals.
Olympian was second among teams with 78 points, followed by Metro-South Bay League champion Hilltop (third, 89 points), Otay Ranch (fourth, 95 points), Bonita Vista (fifth, 135 points), San Ysidro (sixth, 146 points), Sweetwater (seventh, 184 points), Chula Vista (eighth, 226 points), Mater Dei Catholic (ninth, 232 points), Metro-Pacific League champion Mar Vista (10th, 277 points) and Montgomery (11th, 313 points).
Runners of the Year on the boys side included BV’s Aranda (Metro-Mesa League), Southwest sophomore Carlos Martinez (Metro-South Bay League) and Castle Park sophomore Rigoberto Vidal.
Runners of the Year on the girls side included Eastlake’s Williams (Metro-Mesa League), San Ysidro senior Emma Martinez (Metro-South Bay League) and Chula Vista senior Izabella Vargas (Metro-Pacific League).
Up next is Saturday’s San Diego Section finals at Balboa Park’s Morley Field, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Metro Conference Championship Meet
Boys varsity top 10 (5K): 1. Sebastian Aranda (Bonita Vista) 16:36.5, 2. Jack Degenhardt (Olympian) 16:43.9, 3. Carlos Martinez (Southwest) 16:57.8, 4. Amadeous Lozano (Sweetwater) 17:05.6, 5. Memphis Gensler (Olympian) 17:05.9, 6. Andrew Lopez (Southwest) 17:07.0, 7. Brady Albright (Eastlake) 17:08.0, 8. Brian Ibarra (Southwest) 17:09.9, 9. Caleb Camarena (Otay Ranch) 17:11.9, 10. Rigoberto Vidal (Castle Park) 17:13.2
Girls varsity top 10 (2.5 miles): 1. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake) 14:34.2, 2. Kareli Rascon (Eastlake) 16:18.8, 3. Aviva DeVore (Otay Ranch) 16:26.4, 4. Isabel Lara (Olympian) 16:36.7, 5. Charlize Cruz (Eastlake) 16:46.3, 6. Emma Martinez (San Ysidro) 16:47.7, 7. Isabella Nazario (Eastlake) 16:50.6, 8. Miah Bermudez (San Ysidro) 16:57.1, 9. Renee Khuong (Bonita Vista) 17:01.5, 10. Melanie Cisneros (Hilltop) 17:04.9
Runners of the Year (Male)
Metro-Mesa League: Sebastian Aranda (Bonita Vista)
Metro-South Bay League: Carlos Martinez (Southwest)
Metro-Pacific League: Rigoberto Vidal (Castle Park)
Runners of the Year (Female)
Metro-Mesa League: Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake)
Metro-South Bay League: Emma Martinez (San Ysidro)
Metro-Pacific League: izabella Vargas (Chula Vista)
Team Champions (Male)
Metro-Mesa League: Otay Ranch Mustangs
Metro-South Bay League: Southwest Raiders
Team Champions (Female)
Metro-Mesa League: Eastlake Lady Titans
Metro-South Bay League: Hilltop Lady Lancers
