Segerstrom’s girls cross country team last week celebrated a decade of dominance in the Golden West League.
Segerstrom defeated Santa Ana, 17-54, on Wednesday for its 10th consecutive league title at Central Park in Huntington Beach. Senior Stefanie Ortega won the race in 17:27, making her a three-time individual league champion.
Blanca Aceves, Crystal Alvarado, Mariela Rivera and Brianna Alvarado added top-six finishes to help Segerstrom to victory.
In the boys meet, Segerstrom clipped Santa Ana, 40-41, while Saints junior Jorge Suarez picked up the individual victory in 15:50.
Similarly, the Orange League Finals were a big deal for Anaheim’s boys cross country team. Dalton Aviles gave the Colonists their first league champion in six years when he ran a 15:33 to win at Craig Park in Fullerton on Thursday.
Mission Viejo earned a sweep of the Sea View League titles at Irvine Regional Park. The eighth-ranked Diablos boys team upset No. 5 Tesoro, 47-49, behind top-10 showings from Ethan Adams, Brett Hickman and Luke Hilberath.
Tesoro’s Amanda Gehrich (16:41) posted a 22-second victory in the girls meet, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Diablos from scoring a convincing victory over the Titans, 34-61.
San Juan Hills’ Katie Camarena finished second to Gehrich. Her time of 17:03 ranks 16th in the state on a 3-mile course this year. Gehrich, who ranks second in the state, posted the county’s leading 3-mile time with a 16:37 at the Woodbridge Invitational in September.
Brea Olinda’s teams compete in separate leagues, but the Wildcats accomplished the same feat. Austin Tamagno ran a 14:03 to lead second-ranked Brea past No. 4 Canyon, 27-30, in the Crestview League. The Brea girls fended off Villa Park, 31-49, in the North Hills League.
Other programs to sweep both the boys and girls titles in their respective leagues were Crean Lutheran (Academy), Valencia (Empire), Sunny Hills (Freeway), Woodbridge (Pacific Coast), and Dana Hills (South Coast). …
The Laguna Hills, Yorba Linda and Rosary girls cross country teams each received an at-large berth into the CIF-SS Prelims, which take place Saturday in Riverside,
Laguna Hills and Yorba Linda will join the field in Division 3, and Rosary will compete in Division 4.
– ANDREW TURNER, Contributing writer
GIRLS GOLF
Foothill’s Madie Chou is about to do something few girls golfers from the county have done.
On Thursday, at Goose Greek Golf Club in Mira Loma, the senior will make her fourth consecutive start in the WSCGA Southern State Regional.
It’s quite an achievement. Butit’s been full of frustration for her, too.
In the three previous seasons, her postseason has come to an end in the tournament, as she failed to come in under the cut line and advance to the CIF State Championship.
“This is my last chance, so I am taking it seriously, for sure,” she said. “Making it to state has been my goal since I started playing in high school.”
The top 28 individuals from the CIF-SS Individual Championship made it to the WSCGA tournament in Mira Loma. Chou easily made the cut, placing fourth by shooting a 1-under-par 69 at Western Hills Country Club this past Thursday.
Chou’s stroke average through her three WSCGA appearances is 76.0. It took a 72 last year to become one of the nine individuals to make it to state. She posted a 75 in the tournament at Arrowhead Country Club in San Bernardino last season.
“I feel I am a lot more prepared (for the WSCGA tournament),” she said. “I feel like I am a lot better player overall. I think I can go low, and that will help in the next round for sure.”
– DAMIAN DOTTORE
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
As of Monday afternoon, there were a handful of times changes for CIF-SS first-round playoff matches on Tuesday.
In Division 5A, top-seeded Tarbut V’Torah will host Westmark of Encino at 5 p.m. Esperanza’s home match against Paramount (Division 2AA), Cypress’ home match against Notre Dame Academy of Los Angeles (Division 2A) and Oxford Academy’s road match against Rim of the World will start at 6 p.m.
Aliso Niguels’ Division 1A home match against Citrus Valley of Redlands will start at 6:30 p.m.
St. Margaret’s qualified for the playoffs but will not be in action Tuesday. The second-seeded Tartans have a first-round bye in Division 3AA.
– DAMIAN CALHOUN
BOYS WATER POLO
Orange County’s rich history in the boys water polo playoffs could receive several amendments once the matches start Tuesday.
Here are a few to watch for in the early rounds:
• How does a school become the all-time leader in Division 1 playoff victories? It helps to never lose in the first round.
All-time victory leader Newport Harbor (15-10 this season) has never lost in the first round but encounters a tough foe Wednesday when it plays Long Beach Wilson at the outdoor pool at Belmont Plaza at 5 p.m.
The Bruins, third in all-time Division 1 victories, split two games with the Sailors this season.
• Sage Hill (13-11) debuts in Division 5 on Tuesday as it plays host to Xavier Prep of Palm Desert in a wild-card match at Woollett Aquatics Center at 3:30 p.m.
The winner plays at No. 3 seed Ayala in the first round Wednesday.
“I think we’ll be able to compete a little better in CIF,” Sage Hill coach Tom Norton said before the CIF pairings were released.
The Lightning moved to Division 5 from Division 3 when they left the Orange Coast League for the Academy League. Sage Hill finished second, behind Webb of Claremont, in the Academy.
Senior Chris Wan leads Sage Hill with 83 goals. Senior goalie Rachael Jaffe has 161 saves. Jaffe plays on the boys team because the Lightning don’t have a girls water polo team.
• Orange League champion Katella (12-5) could face a challenge in the first round Thursday.
The Knights will play the winner of Tuesday’s wild-card game between Pacifica of Oxnard and host Ramona of Riverside. Pacifica was ranked seventh in the final Division 7 poll while Katella and Ramona were unranked.
Katella is seeking to advance from the first round for the first since 2009, when it won a CIF title.
That was the same year Santa Ana Valley won a playoff match. The Falcons, runner-up to Katella in the Orange League, will try to snap their drought Tuesday when they play host to La Puente in a Division 7 wild-card game.
– DAN ALBANO
