Lightning returns strong group
Sage Hill School is coming off its second-best girls’ cross-country season in the program’s history.
With four runners back from a team that placed ninth at the CIF State Division V finals a year ago, Coach Nate Miller is expecting another big year.
The Lightning did lose the No. 1 runner from a year ago in Emma Dickerson. Miller said Dickerson, who as a freshman placed 12th individually in the Division V race at state, decided to play volleyball in the fall.
Nevertheless, Julia Lowe, a senior, is one of the returners, along with junior Ashton Carroll, sophomore Maya Jaffe and sophomore Olivia Lowe.
“We have a core group of six runners very close in ability and hope to continue to train and grow as a unit,” said Miller, whose team is ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 poll, behind La Cañada Flintridge Prep, which swept the section and state titles last year. “In our meets, we will be looking for low spreads, [the] time gap between [the No. 1] and [No. 5] runners), and for several girls to run under 20 minutes this season.”
Out of the nine girls on the team, there are two sets of siblings. There is Julia and Olivia Lowe, and the Carroll sisters, Ashton and Peyton, who’s a freshman.
The sisters will try to help Sage Hill top last year, when it recorded its top finish at the CIF Southern Section Division 5 finals, finishing third. The program’s best result at state was a seventh-place showing in 2006.
“With nine girls in the entire program, we are one of the smallest teams in the area that has still performed at a very high level in our division,” Miller said.
Sage Hill Girls’ Cross-Country
League: Academy
CIF Division: 5
Head Coach: Nate Miller (17th year)
Coaching Staff: Tanya Lerch, assistant coach; Melissa Freeland, assistant coach
2015 league finish: Second
2015 CIF results: Finished third in the Southern Section Division 5 Championships and ninth in the CIF State Division 5 Championships
Returning starters: Five
Returning with honors: Julia Lowe; Maya Jaffe; Ashton Carroll; Olivia Lowe
Coach’s take: “We’re very excited about our small but talented team this year. We are coming off one of the most successful seasons in Sage Hill history, and with five returners, we expect to be very competitive at the top of the Academy League and in CIF Division [5].”
Ones to watch: “Julia Lowe and Ashton Carroll are our team leaders on and off the course,” Miller said. “[They] have been inspiring our girls to work hard all summer to prepare for the upcoming season.”
Schedule
Sept. 20: at Academy League cluster meet at William R. Mason Regional Park in Irvine, 3 p.m.
Sept. 24: at Brentwood Small Schools Invitational at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, 8 a.m.
Oct. 4: at Academy League cluster meet at Central Park in Huntington Beach, 3 p.m.
Oct. 14: at Orange County Championships at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, 3 p.m.
Oct. 21: at Mt. SAC Invitational at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, 1 p.m.
Oct. 27: at Academy League Championships at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, 1 p.m.
