2011 girls cross country preview

With a team comprised primarily of freshmen and sophomores, Foothill had a talented, yet somewhat inconsistent group throughout much of last fall.

However the Knights finished the year with their best overall performance of the season, placing fourth at the Division 2 state final, and were the county’s top-scoring team among all five divisions.

Entering the 2011 season, Foothill returns six of the seven girls that competed at the state meet and Coach Matt Bell has seen positive results throughout summer and fall training workouts.

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Cross country preview: Important dates in the '11 season

“I’m very encouraged and feel that we should be a stronger team than we were last year,” said Bell. “We’ve got great competition for spots and good depth on the team.”

The Knights feature one of the county’s top returning trios, as junior Jacquie Adams and sophomores Jessica-Cushing Murray and Alison Mattias each finished as the team’s No. 1 runner in big competitions throughout last season and should be in similar positions this season.

“All three girls are competitive, but they enjoy each other,” Bell said. “We feel fortunate to have three girls working toward that top spot and can step it up if another girl is having an off day.”

Bell said returnees such as juniors Audrey Wilcox, Cori Stemper, Gabby Paquette and Jessica Selby have had strong offseason training sessions and should make solid contributions.

“Our philosophy is to work toward being successful at the end of the season,” Bell said. “We are in a tough CIF division, but I feel that we have a good set of girls, the talent is there, and we can run with anyone.”

OPENING WEEKEND

The county’s first invitational is Saturday, when Laguna Hills High will host the 28th annual Laguna Hills Cross Country Invitational.

The meet format is once again comprised of three divisions where runners will compete by class.

The first race is scheduled to get underway at 7:45 a.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early due to limited parking at the school and in the surrounding community.

Other invitational competition to keep an eye on this weekend: the Seaside Invitational on Friday at San Buenaventura State Park in Ventura, the Great Cow Run on Saturday at Cerritos Park and the Don Bosco Tech Invitational on Saturday at Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale.