SANTA ROSA — Ten Lake County cross country runners earned All-League honors and three brought home medals from the Coastal Mountain Conference Championships on Wednesday at Spring Lake in Santa Rosa.
The field included runners from North Central League I and NCL II schools. The top 10 boys” and girls” finishers in each league are accorded All-League status. Additionally, the top 10 overall boys and girls win medals.
Team titles went to the Willits boys and Cloverdale girls in the NCL I and to the Sonoma Academy boys and girls in the NCL II. Cloverdale”s girls and Sonoma Academy”s boys were the overall meet winners.
Individual winners on the 3.05-mile Spring Lake course were Mendocino”s Erin Thomas, who finished in 18 minutes, 45 seconds, more than a minute ahead of runner-up Alyssa Goody of Sonoma Academy (19:47). The top runners in the boys” race were packed together much tighter, with Sonoma Academy”s Patrick Loftus winning in 16:42, Roseland Prep”s Juan Estrella second in 16:52, Calistoga” Erik Valencia third in 16:54 and Roseland Prep”s Brandon Escandon fourth at 17:00.
Lake County”s top finishers were Meghan Beare of Clear Lake, who was third among NCL I runners and sixth overall at 21:30, and Zach Sneathen of Upper Lake, who was ninth among NCL II runners and ninth overall at 17:31.
Beare and Sneathen both received medals as did Middletown”s Cassidy Parker, the top NCL I boys” finisher and 10th overall at 17:34.
Other Lake County girls finishing in the top 10 of their league race and receiving All-League honors were Upper Lake”s Yamileth Plata, fifth in the NCL II race and 11th overall at 23:27; Upper Lake”s Markie Stifter, sixth in the NCL II race and 12th overall at 23:32; and Upper Lake”s Bianca Cruz, 10th in the NCL II race and 22nd overall at 24:59.
Other Lake County boys finishing in the top 10 of their league race and receiving All-League honors were Everardo Chavez of Lower Lake, fourth in the NCL I race and 19th overall at18:36; Tiko Landa of Kelseyville, fifth in the NCL I race and 21st overall at 18:41; Juan Flores of Kelseyville, seventh in the NCL I race and 27th overall at 18:54; and Connor Disney of Clear Lake, eighth in the NCL I race and 28th overall at 18:56.
“I”m happy with how many of them did,” Clear Lake coach Peter Stanley said of the Cardinals, who were led by Beare and Disney. “It was a fun meet and our kids did OK. Connor ran a strong race.”
Upper Lake coach John Woods had nothing but praise for the way his runners responded at the conference meet, and not just Sneathern, Plata, Stifter and Cruz, the team”s All-Leaguers.
“I was really happy with everyone,” Woods said. “We had kids who really improved from a year ago. Arthur Wilkie took seven minutes off his time and Savanah Fecht took five minutes off of her time.”
While Upper Lake”s boys were in a rebuilding mode this season after losing several top runners on the 2012 squad to graduation, a veteran girls” squad delivered the goods, according to Woods.
“Their mindset made a big difference,” Woods said. “They practiced really hard and it showed. As for their work ethic, all I can say is ”wow.” Coach (Lynda) Wade had a lot to do with that.”
The Middletown boys” team finished third in the NCL I behind Willits and Fort Bragg. Kelseyville was fourth.
Upper Lake”s girls finished second to Sonoma Academy in the NCL II standings and fourth overall at the meet.
All CMC runners, regardless of where they placed at Spring Lake, are eligible to compete in the North Coast Section Championships on Nov. 23 at Hayward High School. Top NCS individual finishers and teams advance to the CIF State Championships on Nov. 30 in Fresno.
