Daily Pilot Girls’ Cross-Country Dream Team: Costa Mesa’s Diane Molina makes it a trifecta
When someone says that the third time is the charm, it usually means that the previous two attempts did not go according to plan.
Coming into her senior cross-country season, Costa Mesa High’s Diane Molina already had two Orange Coast League titles and two trips to the CIF State championships as an individual under her belt.
It seemed that Molina had little left in the sport to accomplish, but even at that, she still had her worries. Most importantly, she wanted her team to enjoy the success that she had up to that point.
Sure enough, the third time was the charm, as Costa Mesa experienced ample success within the scope of the program.
Molina receives the Daily Pilot Girls’ Cross-Country Dream Team Runner of the Year honor for the third year in a row.
With the standout leading the way this season, the Mustangs won their first league title since 1980 and made their first state-meet appearance as a team since they won the Division IV title in 1997.
The Mustangs placed seventh in the Division 4 girls’ race, claiming the final state bid on Saturday in the CIF Southern Section cross-country championships at the Riverside City Cross-Country Course.
Costa Mesa’s starting seven included Molina, senior Vanessa Carrillo, juniors Jaqueline Rodriguez and Ally Cruz, sophomores Angeles Alatorre and Daisy Carrillo, and freshman Kira Anderson.
Molina was happy for her team and for Mustangs coach Steve Moreno after Costa Mesa took seventh place in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 final to claim the last state-qualifying spot.
“He was extra happy,” Molina said of Moreno. “He was crying. It’s great to see that all of his work came [together] into one race. Not only one race, but one idea. He was always telling us, even when we didn’t believe in ourselves, that we were going to make it as a team.
“He was always there and supportive, reassuring us that we could do it. It was pretty great. He does so much for us, so it was pretty good to give something in return.”
Molina has yet to decide on a college, but she noted that she would like to pursue teaching as a career. She has served as a mentor to her teammates over the years, but the sport has also taught her a thing or two.
“You wonder if something is going to happen, if it’s not going to be your day, or if somebody is going to beat you,” Molina added. “Every single time you go on the line, it’s like a learning experience, and it humbles you.
“You know that you’re good, but you’re not good enough to ever be sure about actually winning a race. I guess that’s part of the fear I face.”
Moreno said that when Molina won her first Orange Coast League individual crown as a sophomore, she went from relative obscurity to being in the limelight.
As time went on, improvement did not come as easily for Molina, who did not set a new personal record this year.
“No one is invincible,” Moreno said. “She has her fears and things along that line. I think it just showed another side, and teammates saw that. I think they also saw that they could all accomplish something together.”
Although Molina did not lower her career-best times, she finished second (17:55.1) in the Orange Coast League final, fourth (17:50.9) in the Division 4 final and fifth (18:03.2) in the Division IV championship race.
The Mustangs’ ace was ecstatic to better her fifth-place positioning in the CIF finals from the previous two seasons.
“I was kicking at the end with all that I had, body aching, and I was just like, ‘Please don’t pass me,’” Molina said. “A girl, I felt her on my heels, and I was like, ‘Please!’
“It was just nerve-wracking. My mom knew what I wanted to do. Everybody knew what I wanted to do. I was telling all my teammates, ‘I swear if I get fifth again …’”
COACH OF THE YEAR
Steve Moreno
Costa Mesa
In his 10th year in charge of the program, Moreno enjoyed his most successful season with the Mustangs. Costa Mesa edged Santa Ana 28-29 for the Orange Coast League title, which Moreno said was the program’s first league crown since 1980. “I knew it was going to come down to a couple of points because Santa Ana, they don’t lose league, and I knew it was going to be tight,” Moreno said. “The girls stepped up. It was a team effort, and everyone did their job. It was just quite an accomplishment.” Costa Mesa did not stop there, claiming the last CIF State bid in placing seventh in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 final. The Mustangs qualified for the state meet for the first time since 1997.
FIRST TEAM
Maya Buchwald
Corona del Mar | Sr.
The Sea Kings faced injuries at the top of their lineup, but Buchwald softened the blow significantly with a stellar senior season. She began the season by finishing as the runner-up in grade-level races at the Laguna Hills Invitational and Sunny Hills Wayne Walker Invitational. Buchwald was strong at the end, too, running her lifetime-best three-mile time in her last race. She placed 16th in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 final in 18:42.8. Buchwald was not among the first five individuals from non-qualifying teams to finish in the top 20, missing the cut for the CIF State meet.
Kaho Cichon
Fountain Valley | So.
The sophomore considers herself to be more of a track athlete, but she performed at a high level with a light workload this cross-country season. In her only regular-season appearance, she won a grade-level race at the Dana Hills Invitational. More than a month went by before Cichon raced again, but she returned to take the Surf League individual title in 18:02.3 in the Sunset Conference finals at Central Park in Huntington Beach. Cichon placed 25th (18:03.4) in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final, leading the Barons to 11th place as a team.
Morgan Falkowski
Laguna Beach | Sr.
Falkowski enjoyed a healthy senior season, and it allowed her to contribute in a major way for the Breakers down the stretch. She finished second in the Wave League final in a personal-best time of 18:02.7, helping Laguna Beach beat Huntington Beach 28-59 for the league title. Falkowski’s fifth-place showing in the CIF Southern Section finals led Laguna Beach’s podium effort in Division 4, as the Breakers finished second behind Orange Lutheran 75-136.
Isa Glassen
Newport Harbor | Jr.
After the graduation of Mia Matsunami, Glassen became the face of the Sailors. The junior won a grade-level race in the Rosemead Invitational in a seasonal-best time of 18:04.1. She also was the third-place finisher in the Wave League at the Sunset Conference finals, advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 preliminaries as an individual. Newport Harbor could have a strong duo next season, as Leanna Tamura also had an impressive freshman campaign.
Maddie Jahshan
Fountain Valley | Sr.
Fountain Valley incurred significant losses after qualifying for the CIF State meet in Division 1 in 2018. Three graduations and two transfers left the Barons with two runners from that state lineup in Jahshan and sophomore Leah Ferris. Jahshan finished third in a grade-level race of the Pat Hadley Invitational. She broke 18 minutes for the second time in her career, doing so with a 17th-place showing at the Dana Hills Invitational. She also came in second, right behind teammate Kaho Cichon, in the Surf League final.
Jessie Rose
Laguna Beach | Jr.
Internal debate over whether she needed to focus exclusively on water polo resulted in a late start to the season for Rose. Four weeks removed from her return to the team, the junior paced the field in 18:00.7 at the Sunset Conference finals, going home with the distinction of Wave League champion. Rose also finished eighth in both the CIF Southern Section Division 4 final (18:11.9) and the CIF State Division IV final (18:12.2). Her time in the state meet took 50 seconds off of her personal record in five career races on the 5K course at Woodward Park in Fresno.
Marikay Schwab
Marina | Jr.
If the Vikings want to get back to the CIF Southern Section postseason as a team for the first time since 2017, Schwab should be a big part of the equation next year. The junior took a step forward, parlaying an at-large berth into the Division 2 preliminaries into a trip to the section finals. Schwab finished second behind University’s Collette Lowengrub in the Division 2 varsity race of the Orange County Championships. She ran 18:16.2 in the race, which was a lifetime-best performance for Schwab on a three-mile course.
SECOND TEAM
Name, School, Year
Brooke Adams, Huntington Beach, Fr.
Kira Anderson, Costa Mesa, Fr.
Leah Ferris, Fountain Valley, So.
Ashlee Gallegos, Edison, So.
Elizabeth King, Ocean View, So.
Kate Miller, Sage Hill, Sr.
Nina Rogers, Laguna Beach, Fr.
Leanna Tamura, Newport Harbor, Fr.
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Updates
6:42 p.m. Dec. 18, 2019: This article was updated with information on Laguna Beach’s Jessie Rose.
This article was originally published on Dec. 18 at 5:26 p.m.
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