GAMERS

Three local high schools are making the trip northward to compete

in the Stanford Cross Country Invitational, held at the Stanford Golf

Course today at 9 a.m.

“It’s a big, competitive meet that will give our runners a marker as

to where they stand among the best in the state,” Sailors’ boys coach Bim

Barry said. “Now if I had to choose between winning this meet and winning

CIF, I’d choose CIF, but it’s a great opportunity to see some of the top

runners in Northern California and see where you stand.”

The Sailors, Sea Kings and Mustangs are just three of over 50 schools

competing at the invitational.

For the boys, one pleasant surprise has been the running of junior

Jesus Santana.

“This is only his first year running and he’s already made big

strides,” Barry said. “Already, he’s anywhere from our No. 1 or 2 runner

out there and he is a nice complement to our team.”

For the Mustangs’ boys, they are led by junior Irwin Salas, who took

first in their dual meet with Laguna Beach with a time of 17:34.

For CdM, look for, well, everyone. Just ask Northwood.

In the Sea Kings’ dual meet with the Timberwolves, Ben Inouye, Travis

Beardlsee, Josh Yelsey, Blake Dillion, Dustin Hodges and John Grod all

crossed the finish line ahead of any Northwood runner and all finished

within seven seconds of each other (16:33-16:40).

On the girls’ side, Newport is led by senior standout Amber Steen.

The reigning CIF Southern Section Division II cross country champ took

eighth at the elite Great American Cross Country Festival in Charlotte,

N.C. with an 18:26 last Saturday.

For the Mustangs, Eileen Bello took third place with a 21:31 against

the Artists in a PCL dual meet and will look to improve on that at

Stanford.

For CdM, it’s another log jam at the top of the list. Season Meservey

(19:05) took first in the Sea Kings’ dual meet with Northwood with Elisha

Morgan (19:05), Diana Hossfeld (19:21), Jenny Cummins (19:21), Lindsey

Yourman (19:41) and Jennifer Long (20:09) each finished in the top-eight.

Some believe its a game with the CdM girls, giving themselves a

different look each time out before the deeper part of the season.

Here’s today’s sports menu:

The Estancia cross country teams will run at the Yucaipa Invitational

today at 8 a.m.

Newport Harbor’s field hockey team will resume action at the Orange

County Invitational. The Sailors are 9-0-1 overall and have allowed only

one goal against them all season.

Newport Harbor’s boys water polo team, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern

Section Division II, will play at University High today at 10 a.m., while

Costa Mesa competes in the Villa Park Tournament all day.

In collegiate action, Orange Coast College’s squads travel down to the

San Diego Invitational, held at the Del Mar Race Track, while the

Vanguard University teams also head up to the Stanford Invitational. The

Lions will compete at 4 p.m.

The VU women’s soccer team competes at Biola University today at 11

a.m., while the Lions’ men host the Eagles at 1.

The VU women’s volleyball team looks for its first win of the season

with a home match against Fresno Pacific tonight at 7.