The Dos Pueblos boys and San Marcos girls captured Channel League titles at the League Championship meet on Wednesday in Goleta.
The Charger boys tallied a team score of 23 to clinch the league title, well ahead of second-place Rio Mesa at 66. Meanwhile, San Marcos slotted into fourth place at 116 points in the seven-school meet.
The Royals were the top local girls team, finishing just two points behind Ventura with 39. Dos Pueblos’ girls turned in a strong showing as well, coming in third place at 57 points.
With San Marcos’ second-place finish, the girls team earned the overall Channel League Girls Cross Country title.
“It was a special day for the Royals,” San Marcos head coach Marilyn Hantgin said. “We haven’t won a league championship that included Ventura since 2016. Ventura has dominated our league in cross country for years.
“It’s nice to finally break through to the top. Our girls put together a great team win.”
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara High registered sixth-place finishes for both its girls and boys squads with 152 and 183 points, respectively.
Dos Pueblos
The Chargers boys turned in a stellar showing, as all five scoring runners placed in the top seven.
The duo of Owen Abbott and Phillip Contakes were towards the front of the pack all race, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Abbott crossed the finish line in 15:04, while Contakes came in at 15:09.
They were joined in the top seven by Oliver Saleh (15:22, 5th), Cullen Gully (15:22, 6th) and Linus Martin (15:26, 7th).
On the girls side, Dos Pueblos got a pair of top-seven performances from Cate Bishop and Selah Blackwell in fifth and seventh place, respectively. Bishop recorded a time of 18:43 and Blackwell ended in 18:56.
The Charger scoring five was rounded out by Vienza Machuca (19:11, 13th), Emili Joulie-Mares (19:17, 14th) and Abby Chou (19:45, 18th).
“We were honored to welcome everyone to Run the Goodland, and I’m proud of how our team represented the school as hosts,” Dos Pueblos head coach David Jackson said.
“We received numerous compliments on how the course looked; a true testament to our Grounds Crew, our supportive community and the dedication to our program.”
San Marcos
The Royals’ girls continued to run in a pack, with four of their top five runners placing between fourth and ninth individually. With that performance, they clinched the overall Channel League title for the season.
Elsie Tuttle’s fourth-place finish led the group, as she crossed the finish line in 18:43.
Meanwhile, Sofi Hernandez (18:55, 6th), Autumn Richardson (18:57, 8th), Samara Shalhoub (19:01, 9th) and Layla Llewellyn (19:05, 12th) rounded out the scoring five.
“I am so proud of this team,” Hantgin said. “They continue to challenge themselves and to push each other.”
Wyatt Degner was the first San Marcos boy to finish in the league championship meet, placing ninth with a time of 15:29.
The youthful Royals’ boys squad was capped off by Brogan Hemphill (16:29, 24th), Audric Hallberg (16:40, 26th), Drew Vogel (16:40, 27th) and Everett Young (16:52, 30th).
“Our backs were against the wall,” Hantgin said. “We had to beat Buena to advance to CIF. Last meet we lost to them by 22 points and this time we beat them by three points. Our boys were focused and knew what they had to do to advance.
“These boys ran with such determination today. Going to CIF for the first time will be a valuable experience for them.”
Santa Barbara High
The Dons’ girls were led by Itzel Rayos Jimenez, who placed 15th as an individual with a personal best time of 19:27.
The rest of the Santa Barbara High scorers on the girls side were Sydney Burgoyne (19:36, 17th), Ariadna Aguilera (23:44, 42nd), Meg Covington (24:28, 43rd) and Sam Morello (24:50, 44th).
As for the boys, Kik Van Engelen led the charge with a personal best of 16:32 and a 25th-place showing.
He was followed by teammates Ethan Walp (17:15, 35th), Lucca Lowry (17:46, 38th), Oscar Green (17:46, 39th) and Noah Davis (18:28, 46th).
“I can’t say enough about the work and fight from all these kids all year,” Santa Barbara High head coach Olivia Perdices said. “Itzel wraps up a great senior season with a lot to be proud of. The rest of this crew is all coming back and has some big things ahead of them.”