The Dos Pueblos boys and San Marcos girls captured the Santa Barbara County Cross Country titles on Wednesday at River Park in Lompoc.
The Charger boys’ team, led by first-place Owen Abbott, finished with an overall score of 41, finishing ahead of San Marcos (69) and Lompoc (86). Meanwhile, the Royal girls tallied a score of 30 to beat out Dos Pueblos (45) and Cabrillo (148).
Santa Barbara High recorded an eighth-place finish in the girls race, while its boys team came in 10th.
Dos Pueblos
Abbott was the first racer to cross the finish line, capturing the individual Santa Barbara County title with a time of 15:10.86.
Fellow Charger Phillip Contakes also earned a podium finish at third place with a time of 15:44, followed by teammates Cullen Gully (16:00, 7th), Tristan Marston (16:10, 10th) and Quentin Holland (16:34, 20th).
As for the girls, Dos Pueblos was paced by Cate Bishop’s fourth-place finish and time of 18:40. Selah Blackwell and Emilie Joulie-Mares joined her in the top 10, placing eighth (18:56) and 10th (19:15), respectively.
The Charger scoring five was rounded out by Iyla Herrick (19:15, 11th) and Gwen Shea (19:38, 18th).
“Watching this squad develop has been a joy,” Dos Pueblos head coach David Jackson said. “They’re racing smart, pushing each other and coming into good form just in time for League Finals.
“With both squads trending upward, the Dos Pueblos Chargers head closer to the CIF postseason not just as one of the top programs in the region, but as a team that knows how to show up when it counts.”
San Marcos
The county-champion girls team was spearheaded by a second-place individual finish by Sofi Hernandez, who ran a strong time of 18:30 and finished behind just Santa Ynez’s Brooke Phelan (18:26).
“Sofi ran a smooth and confident race,” San Marcos head coach Marilyn Hantgin said. “She ran with the front pack and continued to get faster throughout the race. Sofi is a competitor. I just love watching her run.”
The Royals continued to run in a pack, as she was joined by teammates Autumn Richardson (18:42, 5th), Samara Shalhoub (18:45, 6th) and Elsie Tuttle (18:51, 7th) in the top 10. Layla Llewellyn turned in a solid showing of 16th place at 19:29.
“Our girls continue to improve and are ready for the upcoming championship racing,” Hantgin said. “The support they give each other is second to none. They truly like each other and care about one another. This is making our season so enjoyable.”
Wyatt Degner was the top San Marcos finisher on the boys side, crossing the finish line in 15:54 to take fourth place.
“Wyatt has been battling some sickness, but he felt better today. He’s such a natural athlete, I only wish I had him another year,” Hantgin said.
The rest of the Royals’ boys were Brogan Hemphill (16:15, 12th), Audric Halberg (16:21, 14th), Walker Gregorio (16:39, 18th) and Everett Yong (16:39, 21st). Hemphill and Halberg both ran personal bests.
“The boys ran fantastically. These men have a great future ahead of themselves,” Hantgin said. “They are committed and work really hard. It’s nice to see them finishing their season on a high note.”
Santa Barbara High
The Dons’ girls were led by the duo of Itzel Rayos Jimenez (19:28, 14th) and Sydney Burgoyne (19:29, 17th), who each ran lifetime bests.
Ariadna Aguilera, Meg Covington, Samantha Morello and Lena Schneider all recorded personal-best times as well.
“I love the way these girls compete,” Santa Barbara High head coach Olivia Perdices said. “Regardless of the situation, I know they’re putting their best out there for each other. All six girls who lined up had their best showing of the session so far.
“We’ll look to continue that trend at the Channel League Finals next week.”
On the boys side, Oscar Green (17:37, 44th) and Lucca Lowry (17:37, 45th) finished back-to-back with lifetime-best marks.
Noah Davis’ time of 18:11 was good for 61st place and a personal best, while Micah Fore picked up his first varsity points.
“Big breakthroughs for Oscar and Lucca,” Perdices said. “We were missing our usual front-runners today, and it gave some different guys an opportunity to step up.
“Those marks and experiences are pieces we’ll keep building on.”
Carpinteria High
The Warriors’ top finisher in the girls race was Jacqueline Guadian, who placed 13th with her time of 19:19.
Meanwhile, Edwin Hernandez led the charge for the Carpinteria boys with a time of 16:58 to slot into 26th place.