WALNUT – It’s the challenges in life that bring people together.
The cross country season was nothing short of a family affair for the Laguna Hills girls team, and the CIF-SS Finals carried that same tune.
Twin sisters Brianna and Marissa Bartello advanced to the CIF State championship meet in Clovis with top-four finishes Saturday in Division 3 on the challenging hills of Mt. San Antonio College’s race course.
Brianna Bartello (17:17) topped the field by 23 seconds to become the county’s lone CIF-SS champion on the girls side.
The Hawks senior referred to her team as her extended family, and it was the team goal of returning to Clovis for a third straight year that drove her to seek the lowest scoring position.
“That was the main reason I got first. I didn’t want to go by myself,” Brianna Bartello said of winning the individual championship. “I wanted to be surrounded by my family and my girls.”
Laguna Hills did not qualify as a team, finishing in ninth place. Teams had to finish in the top seven of their division to advance.
Hawks coach Chris Lynch thinks the world of the senior’s team-first mentality.
“The team means more to her than any individual accomplishment,” he said. “She needs to hold her head up high because she did everything she could for that team. There’s nothing left in her tank, and you can’t score less than one (point).”
JSerra was going for its fifth straight CIF-SS Division 4 crown. Ashley Geisler (18:07) and Tori Yanco (18:38) led the Lions by placing in the top 10, but Bishop Amat of La Puente dethroned JSerra, 63-101.
Lions coach Marty Dugard was disappointed to see the streak end, but the state meet offers his team new life.
“It’s a good feeling,” Dugard said of qualifying. “We have nowhere to go but up. I know we can do better. I know we can go faster.”
Laguna Beach also qualified in Division 4 by finishing fourth.
Great Oak of Temecula dominated the Division 1 race. The Wolfpack placed all five runners in the top seven to set the Southern Section scoring record with a total of 20 points.
Behind Sabrina Herrmann’s ninth-place finish, Trabuco Hills qualified for the Division 1 state meet. Julia Sienski (Edison), Kalie Demerjian (El Toro), Kelsey Carroll (San Clemente), and Kathryn Kaloroumakis (Dana Hills) advanced as individuals.
In Division 2, Capistrano Valley finished second to Saugus, 81-94. Amanda Gehrich and Briar Brumley of Tesoro and Segerstrom’s Stephanie Ortega advanced individually.
Sage Hill’s Julia Lowe (19:03) and St. Margaret’s Lauren McCaffrey (19:50) advanced to the Division 5 state meet.
