Thursday, March 28, 2024

CHS Cross Country Races in Western League Finals, Heads to CIF Next

Coronado, Serra, Scripps Ranch, Cathedral Catholic, University City, and La Jolla High Schools line up at the starting line for their final Western League meet.

To conclude the Western League season, the boys’ and girls’ teams raced in the final league cluster in preparation for the CIF finals. Six total teams competed in the varsity races with over sixty competitors in each. “Going into the Western League Championships last Tuesday we knew that the girls’ team would be in for a long day,” says Coach Green, as many runners were sick.

Freshman Abigail Hundley leads a pack of runners in the top twenty.

Teresa Perez, once again, dominated the course at Morley Field. This time, she not only finished in first place, but she had a Personal Record and set the course record by nearly twenty seconds faster than previously set. Teresa finished the five-kilometer course in 18:15.3 (Mile Pace: 5:55.6), beating the second-place finisher by eleven seconds. The following is a video of Teresa sprinting through the finish line:

Due to her incredible performance in all the cluster meets and the final, Teresa was named Girls’ Western League Athlete of the Year.

Following Teresa was freshman Abigail Hundley who placed fifteenth, with a PR time of 19:47 (Mile Pace: 6:25). Madden Hundley followed Abigail, placing nineteenth. Also finishing in the top thirty were Naya Tamariz and Jessica Ehret. Coronado ended in fourth place among the six schools competing in the Western League.

Spencer Busby keeps a safe distance from University City runner.

In the boys’ division, Spencer Busby was the top runner for Coronado, clocking a time of 16:26.1 (Mile Pace: 5:20.1). Spencer took seventh place, followed by Ian Hurlburt who placed fifteenth, with a PR time of 16:47 (Mile Pace: 5:27), and Patrick Harris in sixteenth, with a PR time of 16:50 (Mile Pace: 5:28). Being only his second race of the season, Luke Klingenberg finished one second slower than Harris, only thirty-one seconds off his PR. Coronado boys placed third among the six Western League schools.

Luke Klingenberg (right) and Patrick Harris (left) maintain their position in the top twenty.

The CIF Finals of the San Diego Section on Saturday will determine the qualifiers for the state meet in Fresno. To qualify as a team, the boys must finish among the top three Division-IV teams and the girls among the top two Division-IV teams. “Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have good chances to qualify,” says Coach Green. “Sage Creek is the top D-IV boys’ team with Coronado, Crawford, and Valley Center vying for the remaining two slots. For the girls, the top-seeded teams are Coronado and Sage Creek with Valley Center a threat.” We wish the team luck at the finals this Saturday.

Next Meet:

Saturday, November 18 – CIF Finals at Morley Field @ 11:45 AM

Photos by George Green



Andres de la Lama
Andres de la Lama
Andres is a senior at Coronado High School and has written for the Islander Times and The Coronado Times throughout his high school career. He has also been a proud part of Coronado’s Days for Girls chapter and this year’s president. Andres aspires to be a screenwriter will go on study creative writing in college. Have news to share? Send tips, story ideas or letters to the editor to: [email protected]

More Local News