Laguna Beach girls, CdM boys victorious in cross-country dual meet
As cross-country teams compete in one dual meet after another, it continues to demonstrate how much this season is unlike the others.
Without invitational meets or a postseason to look forward to, cross-country runners keep pushing themselves to the limit after months of being confined to training.
Laguna Beach High girls’ cross-country coach Steve Lalim said that his team has focused on making the most of every opportunity, and clearly, in the case of the Breakers, each race has been interpreted as such.
Melanie Falkowski ran 17 minutes 58.2 seconds to pick up her third individual win of the season, and the Laguna Beach girls’ cross-country team defeated Corona del Mar 20-39 on Saturday at Central Park in Huntington Beach.
Coco Reed (18:24.7) and Grace Wilson (18:30.1) came in behind Falkowski, as the Breakers claimed the top three positions en route to the victory. Audrey Sutton (sixth, 19:00.8) and Sydney Schaefgen (eighth, 19:29.2) completed the Breakers’ scoring five.
“This is our fourth week in a row racing, fourth Saturday, and the most impressive thing is they’re staying motivated, they’re staying driven, and they’re just working hard,” Lalim said.
“They’re not letting this pandemic get in the way of what they’re doing. They’re just focusing. Even though it’s a different season, they’re making the most of every opportunity that they get, which has been pretty cool to watch.”
Corona del Mar was led by senior Annabelle Boudreau (fourth, 18:45.1), for whom injuries have limited her opportunities to race. She said that she struggled through lower-body injuries related to a growth spurt, but she added that the delays in the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic gave her time for recovery.
“I think I’m a lot stronger now,” Boudreau said. “In the race times, I keep seeing a decrease in seconds, and even minutes, so I’m actually really excited for the track season. I haven’t gotten a real track season in quite a few years.”
Melisse Djomby-Enyawe also placed fifth in 18:54.5 for the Sea Kings.
Central Park has often served as the home of league finals and cluster meets, so when Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach held a cross-country dual meet there on Saturday morning, the fields did not appear to be nearly as busy.
Laguna Beach sophomore Christopher Drews had no trouble maintaining a competitive mindset, as he won the boys’ race in 16:27.2.
“This season’s been weird, but it’s been great because the coaches have really been working at 100% for so many months,” Drews said. “I just feel like I sort of have to hunker down, run a good race, just for the good of the team. It’s sort of your own willpower.”
The Breakers, who entered just five runners into the race, claimed the top two spots with William Goodwin (16:54.2) following Drews to the finish.
It was Corona del Mar that earned the victory in the boys’ team race 25-30, as a pack of five Sea Kings finished within 36 seconds of each other without a Breaker in between them.
Jasper Mahmood (third, 16:58.6), Spencer Clemente (fourth, 17:16.1), Zach Harris (fifth, 17:19.4), Colin Choe (sixth, 17:34.0) and Wynne Young (seventh, 17:34.0) formed the scoring quintet for the Sea Kings.
“It felt really good,” Mahmood, a sophomore, said. “We’ve been waiting to race for about a year, so we’ve just been waiting to come and show the work we’ve been putting in. I think we did a pretty good job of that.”
BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY
At Central Park, Huntington Beach
3-mile course
Corona del Mar 25, Laguna Beach 30
1. Drews (LB) 16:27.2; 2. Goodwin (LB) 16:54.2; 3. Mahmood (CdM) 16:58.6; 4. Clemente (CdM) 17:16.1; 5. Harris (CdM) 17:19.4; 6. Choe (CdM) 17:34.0; 7. Young (CdM) 17:34.0; 8. D. Zevnik (LB) 17:47.6; 9. Coffey (LB) 17:51.6; 10. Stewart (LB) 18:03.9
GIRLS’ CROSS-COUNTRY
At Central Park, Huntington Beach
3-mile course
Laguna Beach 20, Corona del Mar 39
1. Falkowski (LB) 17:58.2; 2. Reed (LB) 18:24.7; 3. Wilson (LB) 18:30.1; 4. Boudreau (CdM) 18:45.1; 5. Djomby-Enyawe (CdM) 18:54.5; 6. Sutton (LB) 19:00.8; 7. Rosing (CdM) 19:24.3; 8. Schaefgen (LB) 19:29.2; 9. Carrie (LB) 19:34.3; 10. M. Zevnik (LB) 19:43.9
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