Local runners attempt to advance to state meet

As Corona del Mar High cross country coach Bill Sumner said last week, “It’s time to run all out because there’s no turning back.”

Corona del Mar, along with Newport Harbor and Sage Hill School, will compete today at the CIF Southern Section boys’ and girls’ cross country championships in their respective divisions at Mt. San Antonio College for opportunities to reach the state meet.

The top seven teams in each division will gain automatic berths to Fresno’s Woodward Park. Expect the CdM girls’ and boys’ teams to qualify out of Division III, the Newport Harbor boys’ and girls’ teams in Division II, and the Sage Hill boys’ and girls’ teams in Division V.

CdM’s girls are vying for their fourth straight section championship, led by seniors Shelby Buckley and Allison Damon, who finished one-two at last week’s preliminaries in Walnut. The duo will try to help the Sea Kings win it again and head to Fresno with confidence they can repeat there as well. The boys are led by Thomas Dialynas and Richard DeMarco.

Newport Harbor’s boys, ranked No. 2 in the state, will finally race against top-ranked Loyola. The team is led by seniors Rex Nelson and Mike Puncel and the Sailors plan to advance to their first state event since 1998. The girls are looking to reach state again after back-to-back runner-up finishes. Giving Harbor a one-two punch is Erica Pearson and Sophia Ditty.

For Sage Hill, Sean McElroy and Connor Rose are the boys’ top two runners. For the Lightning’s girls, Cait Williamson is No. 1.

— From staff reports